The LittleBigPlanet DDoS Attack: What It Means for the Gaming Industry

January 2022

In the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and stay-at-home orders across the globe, more people are turning to online gaming as a hobby than ever before. Popular online games like Playstation’s LittleBigPlanet puzzle game, for example, have an estimated 13.4 million players worldwide.

Unfortunately, it seems as though the more popular an online game is, the more prone it is to DDoS and other attacks. This has been the case with LittleBigPlanet, which suffered a major distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack earlier this year. Let’s take a closer look at this issue its consequences.

What Happened During the LittleBigPlanet DDoS Attack?

In March of 2021, Sony found itself with no choice but to take down its LittleBigPlanet servers following a large DDoS attack that was believed to be carried out by a disgruntled gamer. Even before this event, the game and its servers had fallen victim to a number of attacks over the past several months.

As of April of 2021, the servers for this game are still down, and there have been no official announcements regarding when the game may be back up and running. However, it is assumed that Sony is currently taking proactive measures to bolster the gaming server’s security in order to reopen as soon as possible.

Lasting Implications for the Gaming Industry

This is certainly not the first time a game’s server has been taken down as a result of ongoing and widescale DDoS attacks. However, this event is notable for the impact it has had on Sony and the gaming industry as a whole. Prior to the server shutdown, Sony had plans to release LittleBigPlanet’s Sackboy: The Big Adventure. Unfortunately, the release has been affected by the attack as well.

As a result, there is a greater awareness than ever before of the potential impact DDoS attacks can have on the gaming industry. Gaming companies now realize that they need to take more proactive measures to keep their servers safe and secure. This includes implementing higher levels of DDoS protection on their servers, as well as tracking DDoS attack forecasts more closely.

Is It Time to Switch to a Dedicated Gaming Server?

If you’re an online gamer, you are unfortunately more prone to DDoS attacks and other web attacks than ever before. The good news? You can take some proactive steps to protect yourself and your gaming efforts. If you aren’t already using a dedicated server for gaming, now may be the time to make the switch. Specifically, dedicated gaming servers provide added security features that you simply can’t enjoy when playing over your home internet connection.

Meanwhile, dedicated hosting plans through companies like ReliableSite come with free standard DDoS protection for added peace of mind. This provides you with protection against DDoS attacks of up to 10 gigabytes per second, with the option to purchase more.

Ready to upgrade your gaming experience with a dedicated gaming server? ReliableSite is here to make the transition as seamless as possible. With a wide variety of hosting plans available, we can help you choose the right setup to suit your gaming needs.

Contact our team today to explore your options and start setting up your dedicated server for gaming!