LBP Union and Project Lighthouse are not affiliated with Sony Interactive Entertainment or their subsidiaries. Project Lighthouse is a clean room reverse engineering project of now defunct PlayStation 3 and Vita LittleBigPlanet online features. No proprietary code is distributed. Under no circumstances will we endorse or support piracy. You must have your own copy of the game in order to use the custom features once they become available. When using these features, you release Sony Interactive Entertainment (Sony) as well as any employees or agents of Sony, from any and all liability, corporate, or personal loss caused to you or others by the use of Lighthouse custom servers for LittleBigPlanet.
Hello, Sackfolk! We are proud to announce that Project Lighthouse Public Beta launches on March 6th, 2023! This will enable online features for LittleBigPlanet on PS3 and Vita for the first time since the official servers were shut down in 2021. Let’s talk about how you can prepare for public beta!
Watch the Announcement
LBP Union Lead Protector Michael Youngling broke the news to the community on February 19th on our Discord server. You can catch a recap of the announcement below. To watch the event in its entirety including the Q&A, check out the full version here. The announcement was recorded by R&D Developer Kokofloral.
Preparing for Public Beta
We are just as excited as you are for everyone to play online again on LittleBigPlanet for PS3, Vita, and RPCS3! Here’s what you need to do to prepare:
- Attend our LBP Patching Workshop this Saturday, February 25th starting at 12:00 PM EST and lasting throughout the day on our Discord server. We’ll help you safely jailbreak your console and patch your game so you’re ready to connect to Beacon when public registration opens on the 6th!
- Pre-register for the Union Space Corps Scout Program on our Discord server. This will later allow you to get access to exclusive in-game prizes, engage in community events, be the first to hear about Beacon news, and connect with other LBP fans in-game just like you! You’ll also have the opportunity to help us test upcoming features!
What Do I Need to Play Beacon Public Beta?
To play on our LittleBigPlanet custom server when public beta releases, here is what you’ll need to do. Don’t fret if it seems a bit complicated. We have easy to follow tutorials coming soon! You can also attend our upcoming LBP Patching Workshops on our Discord server over the coming weeks for support from experienced beta testers!
- You’ll need a PlayStation 3 or Vita with custom or hybrid firmware (jailbroken). This allows the console to run a modified version of the game. (Alternatively, you can use the RPCS3 emulator on a computer).
- With a legal copy of the game, you’ll need to patch the server address in your game’s binary file (EBOOT) to Beacon’s server address. Otherwise, your game will attempt to reach the now-offline servers that were once hosted by Sony.
- Once you’ve patched the EBOOT file and put it on your system, connect to PlayStation Network and boot up the game. Then, attempt to connect to LittleBigPlanet online features. You should get a custom announcements screen. Congratulations, you’ve connected to Beacon!
If this makes your head spin, don’t worry! Easy to follow tutorials are coming soon. Make sure you bookmark our site and follow us on Twitter so you are one of the first to know when those tutorials drop!
Check Out the Private Beta Community Right Now!
Curious about what’s going on the private beta community for Beacon? You can see all the photos, levels, reviews, comments, and more on Beacon’s website! Please note, what you see is still a work in progress. The site and the server will continue to evolve over time.
FAQ
What is Project Lighthouse?
Project Lighthouse is a LittleBigPlanet custom server developed by the LBP Union Research & Development team and various other community developers. It was made to restore online features to LittleBigPlanet 1, 2, 3, and Vita following the shutdowns in 2021.
How Do I Install Project Lighthouse?
Project Lighthouse is the server software, meaning you don’t need to install it. You’ll connect to an existing server instead. We are proud to announce that LBP Union is opening up a Project Lighthouse server, called Beacon up to the public for free! This means that anyone will be able to register and play LittleBigPlanet games online again on PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and RPCS3.
When Can I Play on the Beacon Public Beta?
Public registration will open for Beacon’s public beta on March 6th, 2023. This is the two-year anniversary of the 2021 LittleBigPlanet server attacks. These attacks ultimately led to the servers being shut down for good. However, Beacon will allow you to use online features again!
Will Beacon Have All the Levels from the Official Servers on PS4?
No, we do not have access to the levels on the official servers Sony hosts for LBP3 PS4. However, archival efforts from community members have allowed us to host a number of your favorite levels on Beacon for you to enjoy!
Do I Need to be Part of the LBP Union Discord Server to Play Beacon?
No, you will not need to be part of the Discord server to play on Beacon. Our LittleBigPlanet custom server is open for everyone to enjoy!
Are LittleBigPlanet Custom Servers Legal?
Yes, it is legal to run and play a LittleBigPlanet custom server. All of the code that makes up Project Lighthouse is completely original and open source. We do not distribute any proprietary files or code from Sony and have no affiliation with Sony. We have a strong stance against piracy as well.
In addition, since we are not distributing copies of the game, you are required to modify your own copy of the game to play on these servers. You own your copy of the game, so you have the legal right to modify it. The same goes for your console. However, modifying your game and console may be a violation of PlayStation Network’s Terms of Service. However, over the past several years and out of hundreds of private beta testers, no one has been banned by Sony for playing on custom LittleBigPlanet servers.
Where Can I Donate to LBP Union to Support Beacon Servers?
Out of respect for Sony and their intellectual property, we will never accept donations for this project. However, we appreciate you spreading the word about the project to help others play LittleBigPlanet online again! We also welcome anyone willing to help us out with our community to apply for one of our volunteer roles.
How Can I Play LBP Custom Servers Without Jailbreak?
If you aren’t comfortable jailbreaking your PS3 or PS Vita, your only option to play LittleBigPlanet custom servers is to use the RPCS3 emulator. However, this requires a fairly decent computer to run at full speed and resolution.
Can I Play LittleBigPlanet Custom Servers on OFW with DNS?
Many other PlayStation 3 custom server projects use DNS redirects to allow consoles to connect to servers without jailbreak (official firmware, or OFW). However, this is not possible with LittleBigPlanet. This is because the server URL stored in the game’s binary (.EBOOT file) directs to a Sony server address with an SSL certificate.
This security certificate is not possible to replicate with current technology. If it were possible to replicate, it would be illegal as we would be falsely representing a security certificate created by Sony.
