LittleBigPlanet Recall Was 'Absolutely the Right Thing,' Says Former Sony President

With many lamenting the one-week delay of LittleBigPlanet, caused by the inclusion of a song containing verses from the Islamic holy book Qur'an, former Sony Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison believes the recall was the right move.

"It was absolutely the right thing to do, because LittleBigPlanet set out from day one to be a game for the entire world," Harrison, now the president of Atari, told GamesIndustry. "If there was anything that accidentally detracted from that vision and made the game not fun for the entire world, then the game would have fundamentally failed in its mission."

The inclusion of Toumani Diabate's 2006 song "Tapha Niang" caused Media Molecule's PlayStation 3 platformer to be recalled from retailers mere days before its release on October 21. The title is now expected to hit North America the week of October 27.

While some found the the song's use of two Qur'an verses offensive, the American Islamic Forum for Democracy has condemned the delay and removal of the lyrics as religious censorship, with artist Toumani Diabate, himself a Muslim, claiming that the tune was a "way to attract and inspire people toward Islam."