LittleBigPlanet enters retail orbit October 21

It took a lot more than seven days for Media Molecule to create LittleBigPlanet, but the upstart studio's divine work is finally done. Sony today confirmed that the PlayStation 3 exclusive has gone gold and will launch in North and Latin America on October 21. Europe, Australia, and New Zealand will get the game the next day, with the UK and Ireland having to wait until October 24.

While the basic game can be described as a platformer, LittleBigPlanet's in-game creation tools are versatile enough that direct genre comparisons are unhelpful. In July, Sony used the game to produce a lively financial presentation for its E3 Media & Business Summit press conference.

Last month, Sony announced a handful of giveaways to encourage preorders, and today the publisher expanded that with rewards for early adopters of the game. During LittleBigPlanet's first week on sale, players will be able to download a pair of apparel options for the game's SackBoy mascots. An astronaut suit will commemorate the game's "launch" with head-to-toe protection from the LittleBigPlanet atmosphere, while heartier SackSouls will be able to brave the elements with just an "I was there Week One" T-shirt.

While Media Molecule is a new outfit, its founders have a history of working on ambitious or innovative games. They first struck out on their own with the procedurally animated Rag Doll Kung Fu, and before that worked for Peter Molyneux's notoriously ambitious Lionhead Studios.

For more on LittleBigPlanet, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.