Is the new direction for the series a step too far?

Earlier this week, the massive rumor that Sony unveiled a new game called LittleBigPlanet Karting at a Destination Playstation retailer event took shape, with various sites reporting on the game. However, there was still no official confirmation from Sony themselves. Now, it seems the gaming icon is ready to start speaking the truth, as today they have confirmed the game is real.

Twitter account @LeLack initially posted the first promotional standee for the game, making the rumors of the title a near reality, and most likely prompting Sony’s hand at releasing a statement today. The offical word of the company said “We can confirm that LittleBigPlanet Karting is in fact in development and we look forward to sharing details on this exciting new game in the near future. Stay tuned for more info.”

The most obvious place for Sony to reveal more on the title will be at GDC 2012 in San Francisco, which will take place March 5th to March 9th. We know that Microsoft is already planning to make a few waves, especially with their Spring Showcase being revealed just a few days prior to the conference.

The biggest question with the existence of LBP Karting is a very concerned one: What happens now to ModNation Racers? Released in 2010, the series was just starting to find its legs from developer Sony Computer Entertainment’s San Diego Studio, with the second title ModNation Racers: Road Trip to be released just next week as a launch title for the Playstation Vita. The create-play-share racer shares incredibly similar qualities to LBP, but if LBP is going karting, does this mean the premature death of ModNation Racers? Many fear that with LBP Karting, there’s no need to continue the ModNation series, at least in terms of racing.

We’ll keep you posted on the latest from LBP‘s newest title, and the GDC next month as it happens.