![Soapbox: Astro Bot Is Not a Graveyard, It's a Joyful Demonstration of Sony's Unique Ability to Reinvent Itself 1](https://images.pushsquare.com/36905d0d53839/soapbox-astro-bot-is-not-a-graveyard-its-a-joyful-demonstration-of-sonys-unique-ability-to-reinvent-itself-1.900x.jpg)
PlayStation, more than any other platform holder, has endured the test of time through its unique ability to reinvent itself. Where its rivals have historically relied on tried-and-trusted intellectual property, like Mario and Halo, Sony has rarely ever stood still, overhauling its image with each respective generation. It’s one of the reasons the brand doesn’t have a defined mascot: Crash Bandicoot, Ratchet & Clank, Nathan Drake, Sackboy, and Kratos are just some of the stars to have shared the responsibility over the years.
An article published by TheGamer earlier today described Astro Bot as a graveyard as opposed to a celebration, pointing to the corpses of the many dormant franchises the platformer is championing. While an undeniably cynical take, it’s important to underline that the author is not criticising the Team ASOBI game, and stresses several times that they’re excited for the PS5 exclusive. But their overarching point, that Sony has lost its magic by moving on from the masterpieces in its past, has irritated me to an irrational degree. I simply had to write a response.
![Soapbox: Astro Bot Is Not a Graveyard, It's a Joyful Demonstration of Sony's Unique Ability to Reinvent Itself 2](https://images.pushsquare.com/a42b7697575b1/soapbox-astro-bot-is-not-a-graveyard-its-a-joyful-demonstration-of-sonys-unique-ability-to-reinvent-itself-2.900x.jpg)
PlayStation has always been at its best when it’s given developers the freedom to shape their own futures. One of the series that the article puts a bright spotlight on is Jak & Daxter, the classic Naughty Dog trilogy on the PS2. It’s important to remember that this series was created as a replacement for Crash Bandicoot, after licensing complications meant that Universal Interactive – and, latterly, Vivendi – actually owned the rights to the brand. It now inexplicably finds itself in the hands of Xbox, but that’s a different discussion for a different day.
Jak & Daxter actually changed a lot over the course of its tenure in the PS2 limelight. The original game was a sandbox Super Mario 64-style collectathon, while it eventually evolved into more of a GTA-esque open world action platformer. Despite critical and commercial success, when the PS3 came around, Naughty Dog wasn’t forced to make a fourth entry in the franchise, and instead stretched its legs with the Uncharted series – another historic PlayStation property that introduced an entirely new cast of beloved characters. It would never have been made if the studio had been chained to Jak.
![Soapbox: Astro Bot Is Not a Graveyard, It's a Joyful Demonstration of Sony's Unique Ability to Reinvent Itself 3](https://images.pushsquare.com/836bfcbb2dfcd/soapbox-astro-bot-is-not-a-graveyard-its-a-joyful-demonstration-of-sonys-unique-ability-to-reinvent-itself-3.900x.jpg)
In fact, the Californian studio did eventually experiment with the idea of a new Jak game, but it once again decided to walk in a different direction, and create The Last of Us instead. This bold survival horror series’ tone couldn’t be more different to the titles that came before it, making the studio’s evolution all the more remarkable. Ellie and Joel’s cross-country adventure became one of the biggest PS3 titles ever, eventually spawning a critically acclaimed sequel and an HBO television show. I don’t know what’s next for boss Neil Druckmann and his team, but I certainly trust in the studio’s creative vision.
It’s important to note that this story doesn’t just apply to Naughty Dog, however. Fresh from the success of the Sly Cooper series, Sucker Punch also reinvented itself throughout the PS3 era with the well-liked inFAMOUS franchise. It’d make a third game for the PS4, before introducing an entirely new universe in Ghost of Tsushima. This became the Seattle-based outfit’s best-selling game, and while Sly Cooper hasn’t been forgotten by any stretch – a new title, developed by Sanzaru Games, was generally well-received – it allowed us to meet a fresh cast of characters, including Jin Sakai.
![Soapbox: Astro Bot Is Not a Graveyard, It's a Joyful Demonstration of Sony's Unique Ability to Reinvent Itself 4](https://images.pushsquare.com/c20ac7270a288/soapbox-astro-bot-is-not-a-graveyard-its-a-joyful-demonstration-of-sonys-unique-ability-to-reinvent-itself-4.900x.jpg)
This is the thing that sets PlayStation apart: it never, ever stands still. There are more than 150 cameos in Astro Bot, which is an extraordinary selection, many of which are from first-party franchises. But in our opinion, this isn’t a thing to criticise or crucify: it’s something to truly celebrate. That Sony has been able to reinvent itself, generation after generation, introducing new characters and worlds for fans to fall in love with is part of what sets the Japanese giant apart. Its ability to replace the characters we adore with new ones is something that should be respected.
From the Helghast to Aloy; from Spyro the Dragon to Spider-Man; from Sackboy to Astro Bot. Not every transition is a hit; not every new franchise becomes a household name. But part of PlayStation’s enduring appeal is its ability to try. So keep this in mind before you opine the death of Devil’s Dice or Sir Daniel Fortesque: if PlayStation hadn’t given its teams the opportunity to innovate in the first place, the collection of supposedly forgotten characters you’re crying about wouldn’t be anywhere near as large.
Do you think Astro Bot demonstrates Sony’s inability to iterate upon the IP that previously brought it success – or its bold commitment to reinventing itself generation after generation? Do you think Team ASOBI’s outing is a graveyard, or an earnest celebration of all the series that have come before it? Pick your side in the comments section below.
Is Astro Bot a celebration or a graveyard? (912 votes)
- It's obviously a celebration
- It's a graveyard of dead IP
Comments 74
I think you've got to be a right miserable git to look at something as colourful and charming as Astro Bot and think "graveyard of dead games".
I get where the sentiment is coming from, but I can't possibly agree.
Well written, Sammy. Agreed on all points.
That's what I love about PlayStation - The scenery changes. They don't keep flogging the same franchises for decades.
The studios tell their story, then they move on to something new.
If they feel they have an idea for another entry they explore it, but they don't force it.
It's not a graveyard. It's limbo where all those IPs are left between the land of the living and dead.
Celebrate good times come on.
This would be like calling Super Smash Bros a graveyard of dead IP since over half the franchises represented in that game series haven’t had a new game in over two decades. Wait, no one ever tries to say that about Smash Bros so why even bring it up about Astro Bot unless you are trying to start discourse.
I mean it can be both, can’t it? It celebrates the past but it’s also hard to deny that there are many Sony franchises that fans wish they would have done more with. Would I take another Resistance game over PlayStation’s “evolution” with games like Concord? Hell yeah. Who wouldn’t?
So I can see the point of The Gamer article but yet also can enjoy reminiscing through PlayStation history as well.
To me it’s important to evolve but also make use of your best IPs. And I think that was the point of The Gamer article. Not that the game was some kind of morbid graveyard.
If every company was supposed to only evolve and not use their best IPs, does that mean we shouldn’t have Mario and Zelda games anymore?
You can try new things and still embrace the past much like Zelda has gotten more and more creative over the years.
It is true though that Sony seems to have abandoned many of their greatest franchises, which irks me quite a bit - Uncharted, Last of Us, God of War, Crash are all in Limbo right now (and where the hell is Ghost of Tsushima 2 ?). Playstation keeps reinventing itself but the problem is that it needs to do that in the first place.
Let’s just hope it sells gangbusters… so much so that the boardrooms bulging-pockets are undeniable
This is the generation of Concord. 😂 Astro Bot is just reminding us of the better days. 🙂
I mean, it could be both.
Completely agree with you, and I felt the same way when I read TheGamer article. Absolutely misses the point.
Just having the pool of over 150 characters to use is amazing. But you don't get that pool unless you are willing to constantly reinvent yourself. And that is hard, that is risky. And I hope Sony goes back to being that company that is willing to take the "innovation" risk (as lately they have been playing it safe) imagining new IPs and ideas.
I gotta say it's an interesting thought by TheGamer. After a lack of new proper and exclusives games this gen, something like Astrobot that celebrates all of Playstation games seems a bit strange. With those long development cycles, shift towards live service, death of console exclusivity this abundance of new and unique franchises in a thing of the past.
I have zero interest in Astro because, like Sackboy, he's just not marketable. But I am interested in seeing the cameos.
@awp69 Every game is a risk, though. It didn't pan out and it's easy to say in hindsight, but if you don't experiment then you don't get anything.
So yes, it's easy to say now, but a new Resistance would have been better than Concord. However, you wouldn't have got Resistance at all if Insomniac had been forced to only ever work on Ratchet & Clank.
@get2sammyb That was just an example. All I’m saying is I don’t think all IPs should just be tossed to the side and forgotten. But Sony seems to have done that to quite a few of their great ones.
The argument made is that Playstation reinvents itself, shedding/leaving IP behind in the process.
I'm willing to argue that, rather, Playstation has largely failed to reinvent its IP. God of War and Ratchet are the only currently-relevant PS icons remaining from the PS2 era. Plus maybe Toro in Japan.
Nintendo can keep something like Kirby going, but Ape Escape is dead and buried? Halo survived a change of developer and some hiccups, but Killzone's amazing universe couldn't survive the tepid Shadow Fall? Meanwhile, eight years and tens of millions of Dollars so Concord could be playable for eight days. WipEout is dead but we sure all loved Destruction All Stars. Resistance is gone but hey, the floundering Destiny universe is first-party now! A new take on MAG or SOCOM would wipe the floor with Fairgame$, if it hasn't been quietly shelved already.
Reinvention is only good if the new reality is worthwhile / better than the past. Sony cooked the entire PS5 generation by not turning on the stove. I want the best for the company and for us enthusiasts, and for all our sakes, they need to take a long hard look at themselves.
@Golem25 In my opinion, Horizon is vastly superior to Killzone. I also have enjoyed Uncharted and The Last of Us more than Jak & Daxter.
All of these transitions have also been more commercially successful, but that's not really the point.
You're making bad comparisons because Guerrilla didn't work on Concord. In fact that was an entirely new team with a brand new idea. In any creative space, there will always be things that fail to resonate.
It doesn't mean you shouldn't try, though.
Brilliant piece and could not agree more… but Bloodborne anyone? 🤪 👍👍👍
The only way I might buy into the author’s position is if Astro Bot was completely phoned in. By all accounts, it wasn’t. In fact, I’d argue that the game breathes new life into characters that would have otherwise remained lost to the uninitiated, and gives new relevancy to ones thought forgotten in the dust bin. All without mentioning the game itself is its own I.P. pushing the medium forward.
@PloverNutter 💯 agreed. And nice Profile pic 👌
Something I've noticed from "games media" in the US is that people are misarable sad sacs of snarkyness. It's gotta suck going through life jaded like that. 80% or more of all gaming IPs are dead, Sony or otherwise.
I haven’t played the new game (until tomorrow 😁) but Astro’s Playroom absolutely felt like a celebration of PlayStation. I completed the game 100% and it was magical.
Sony have made some mistakes this gen but that doesn’t mean their glory days are behind them. If they focus on giving us the single player, story-driven games we want, they can turn things around. Personally I would also like some colourful 3D platformers like Sly, Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter. They don’t need to be big budget releases. Just stop wasting money and resources on multiplayer and live service games.
This gen has been a complete bust but next gen could be great if they get their act together. Hopefully Concord will be the disaster they needed to open their eyes.
I get that there's an element of losstalgia to it because those treasured franchises are never coming back, but it's clearly a celebration. It's not like Astro is walking about crying and putting flowers down
Thank you for this. I came across said article and immediately scoffed
There has been a lot of discussion about the abuse of remasters from PlayStation Studios. But, now the company is an example of reinvention? I don't think so.
Anyway, reinvention is not only using different IPs across the time, it's exploring new alternatives, and design. Sony is not famous for pushing the industry forward, precisely.
Great article, As I have said in other posts, hopefully this week with concord failing and Astrobot (hopefully) selling well, Sony will really look at their legacy and understand what us gamers want/like.
I think the writer was more coming from an angle that, not only are all these franchises decrepit, but there's also just nothing Sony's got going on right now. Yes, many can accept that Jak has been abandoned so Uncharted and The Last of Us can exist. But, where The Last of Us succeeded Uncharted, succeeded Jak, succeeded Crash, where's The Last of Us' successor?
This response also ignores half of the original article's point: Why does Sony put all its money into hugely expensive, cinematic games? It bemoaned that PlayStation's contemporary lineup are all so rigidly alike and non-experimental. It's not just that we haven't gotten a new Sly. It's that it's difficult to imagine modern Sony putting out a game like Sly at this point.
EDIT: Honestly, reading through the original article again (I happened to read it around when it was published), I really think PS' article is missing the point of TG's article. And it's already humorous how many comments clearly haven't read the article to begin with and are instead responding to its headline.
EDIT-EDIT: Like, literally, here's a paragraph from the article:
"Even a series like Ratchet & Clank, which received a sequel as recently as 2021, is a bitter reminder of the current state of Sony. Insomniac has locked itself into a decade of Marvel games, leaving no room for anything new or to finally tie the knot on dangling story threads for the next decade. The modern Sony is chasing trends, not innovation."
They're clearly using this 'graveyard' play as a vehicle to criticize modern Sony. Which you can disagree with, but focusing on the 'graveyard' aspect is really doing this article a disservice.
It's not a graveyard, but if it succeeds it ought to send a message to Sony that there is money to be made thanks to the nostalgia surrounding these old classics.
Astro is clearly a celebration imo, and calling it a graveyard just sounds silly.
But there is an underlying feeling that a lot of people have been asking for things such as a new infamous game, or a 60fps remaster of bloodborne, as well as others for a long time, yet Sony appears to have ground to a complete halt with this live service push.
This may not be entirely accurate, but with Sonys current lack of announcements, it feels like it at present.
I understand the points being made, but to dismiss Nintendo's consistently successful reinvention and development of Mario and Zelda seems a bit off. To miss out on games like Galaxy 1&2, Odyssey, Wonder, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom would be a gaming tragedy.
We also never got further developments of IPs like Jak and Dexter, so we'll never know what heights they would have reached. Saying that, I always like to see studios take risks and make something new.
I think a big issue for Sony is that their studios are stuck making games with ridiculous development times, so the wait for new games has become quite painful. Meanwhile, Nintendo has kind of hit a ceiling graphically, so they can simply focus on gameplay and release more games more frequently. The rate of first party games from the two companies must be close to a ratio of 2:1 over the past five years.
One thing I will say, that by someone finally providing a genuine challenge for the platforming perch with Astro Bot, Nintendo will be pushed to up their game with the next major Mario game. I can't wait to see what they do next after seeing Asobi smash it out of the park.
Graveyard of Dead Games is a very strong phrase, Astro Bot is a celebration. But I agree in part with the article by The Gamer, the article by Push Square mentions studios that moved on to new franchises of their own free will. But in the history of PlayStation there are franchises that were abandoned and never had a chance of continuation, especially from Japanese studios. Sony could also give franchises that the original studio is no longer interested in developing to other developers. Look at the amount of spin-offs that Mario has had over the years made by other studios.
I understand what some say when we see so many franchises never see the light of day again, but I want to celebrate what has come before, and hope to see them again in the future.
It can be both.
I think what Sony should learn from Astro Bot is that there is room for Sony to embrace both the cinematic third-person action titles that people love AND the more light-hearted “fun” games that actually make people smile. All seem to be represented in Astro Bot and all are looked at fondly.
Whether it’s new IP or a revival of a beloved classic, there is always room for smaller titles that appeal to more people than just those interested in cinematic experiences and also cost less to make!
The problem Sony has is that it’s latched on to cinematic and forgot about just having fun.
Nintendo may have mascots and turn-to
IP, but it’s not afraid to play with the formula of those IPs - even to the point of letting 3rd parties doing something with it (Mario + Rabbids, Minecraft Packs, Hyrule Warriors, etc.).
That being said, it has been a while since Nintendo released a new original IP. I want to say Splatoon was the last new IP that took off. ARMs had potential, but seemed to die off after support ended.
@Old-Red "We also never got further developments of IPs like Jak and Dexter, so we'll never know what heights they would have reached."
Sure, but then you never get Uncharted or The Last of Us. 🤷♀️
Astro bot is definitely a celebration.this what sony was known for in the beginning.so this is a instant classic like i predicted.word up son
@get2sammyb agreed, playing Uncharted 2 and Last of Us 1 and 2 are some of my favourite Playstation memories. Would it really be that difficult to set up a smaller division at Naughty Dog to make some titles slightly smaller in scope with more creative art styles like Jak and Dexter though? Ones that don't take 5-8 years to make. I guess it's never that simple or easy. It just seems a shame that everything Sony makes has to be so epic in scale.
I really miss the days when games like Warriors, Manhunt, Puppeteer, Ico etc. were being developed alongside the big hitters.
If Astrobot is the new evolution I’m not so sure about it. The gameplay and production value seem great. But the presentation just feels like one big advertisement. Sure you can call it a celebration. But it feels self-congratulatory and shallow. Mario and Zelda inhabit their own worlds. Astro literally flies a PS5 around and collects PlayStation memorabilia. I don’t play PS games or get excited about them because they’re part of a brand. I play them because PS makes great games that feel organic. Making the branding THE GAME feels off putting and artificial. The world of Astrobot, like I said, feels like a world in an advertisement even if it’s a celebration. It feels like a reflection of the corporate world that games come from and the hubris of Sony since dominating the previous generation.
I think playstation had to reinvent themselves and ditch some of those IP's, Sony's best selling games were on the PS4/PS5 with Spider-Man, Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War 2018/Ragnarok, Uncharted 4 and TLOU remastered/2.
Before those, their games on PS2 and PS3 were struggling to sell more than 9 million, games like Killzone, Resistance, Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Little Big Planet, Motorstorm, Gravity Rush, Socom, Older God of War games, Infamous and even most Gran Turismo games weren't the huge sellers that Playstations games are today.
Yeah I think the right answer really is kind of both. It's always nice to see a fresh face succeed but it isn't so black and white. There is a difference between being chained down to a franchise and running it into the ground (Guitar Hero for example) and just kind of checking back in once in a while for a new exciting entry. (GTA for example).
Time is the most valuable resource of all. If option A is taken, that means Option B is not taken unfortunately. I love Horizon. However, if I knew supporting Horizon at the time would mean the death of Killzone then I wouldn't have taken that deal. Because of that move to kill...well...Killzone, we now have no 1st party FPS to speak of on Playstation other than Concord...oh wait nevermind.
As much as it pains me to say it, I get moving on from Resistance. The 3rd game bombed and Insomniac wanted to try new things clearly anyway. It's always a good idea to keep your options open. However just throwing the past in the trash is not always the right choice.
I can see both sides for sure. I get the argument of if studio took option A then we wouldn't have gotten Option B. But I also get the argument of maybe just do Option A bit later down the line after Option B instead of leaving Option A in the dumpster. Let people miss it a bit before bringing something back.
Currently in Astro's Playroom less then an hour before launch. A bit keeps turning up in the mission room, it's getting crowded lol.
Yeah I'd say calling it a graveyard is too cynical, but it is a bit of a bummer seeing as how 90% of these cool and iconic characters are from a bygone era that modern day Sony is completely removed from.
Say what you will about all their modern game's individual qualities - there's some good and some bad - but it's indisputable that there is staggeringly less variety in their catalog now compared to previous generations.
They've found a moneymaking formula that they mold all their huge games after, and whenever they try to do something "new" it's typically a hollow copy of someone else's big hit that flounders out of the gate.
Ironically Astro Bot is like the only modern Sony game off the top of my head that is distinctly unique from the others. Returnal comes to mind as well, but compare that to the massive library of cool and unique games they were publishing / developing right at the start with the PS1.
It's just disappointing to think about.
@UltimateOtaku91 Not a fair comparison when PS3 sold 87.4 million. So being around 8 - 9 million falls in line with the typical 10 - 20% makeup of a consoles “core” gamers.
PS4 has probably about 40 million more units sold so having 12+ million for a game is much easier to achieve.
@GamingFan4Lyf I would agree with certain games but even still there was a lot of games that sold way less than 9 million, some barley selling 2-3 million like Killzone, Socom, Resistance, Sly, Jak and Daxter, Gravity Rush, Infamous 1 and 2, Motorstorm.
Not every IP needs to perpetuate itself unto eternity. Sometimes it's much healthier, for both the creators and the creation, to let it reach a natural end.
People have a strange obsession with calling franchises 'dead' when in most cases they are simply 'finished'. The only instances where that term ever makes sense would be those in which the creators actively wanted to make a new entry and they never managed to.
@UltimateOtaku91 2-3 million? That surprises me given the way people talk about the games!
I was more of a PC gamer during this particular generation. I owned a PS3 and had a few games, but I wasn’t big on the system.
I think the only games I have left for my PS3 are MGS4, Resistance, and Ico/Shadow of the Colossus Collection.
@JohntheRaptor
Not marketable? What are you on about?
@GamingFan4Lyf Scroll down towards the bottom for the individual games sales.
https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Best_selling_Sony_games
Its only since the PS4 that Sony's games have really taken off for some reason, it's not like the PS3 games were bad at all in terms of quality.
Ridiculous. That's like saying Smash Bros is a graveyard and not a celebration just because it has characters from dormant IP like F-Zero, Star Fox, Kid Icarus, Banjo-Kazooie, Ice Climbers, Duck Hunt, Punch Out, etc.
@UltimateOtaku91 Not every game especially for small-mid budget game needs to sell huge or reach 9 million copies. Shadow of the Colossus for example, the PS4 remake only sold around 1.2 million copies. But i bet it break even the total cost or brought some profit for Sony more than what Concord did with 25K copies.
And back in PS3 era, a lot of big budget games doesn't need $100 million budget. Uncharted 2 for example, Sony only spent $20 million for the devs cost but it looks and play amazing while beloved by many gamers.
https://www.vg247.com/uncharted-2-has-budget-of-20-million-says-wells
I hope Sony ditch the trend of chasing realistic graphics + open world and focus their 1st party studios for to make fun, creative, and unique games like Team Asobi did with Astro Bot.
@PuppetMaster I agree, but unfortunately these days developers/publishers are only interested in sales numbers, it's probably why we won't be seeing a Ratchet and Clank from Insonmiac any time soon. Would be nice to see more smaller titles like Astro Bot fill in the gaps whilst we wait for the big budget titles.
@UltimateOtaku91 All the disillusioned Xbox players who switched after the botched X1 release decided to go “all in” on PlayStation, I guess.
Or perhaps just a change in attitude towards gaming as a whole.
Who knows? It is an interesting shift, though.
sony has so many ip they could bring back..
It's definitely a celebration but it is also sad seeing that so much Sony IP is going unused. Hopefully Sony use appearances in Astro Bot as an opportunity to bring back dormant IP.
The gamer.com is a joke. They're always cynical. They're maybe the most pro-Nintendo site out there. Also, their walkthrough of P5R nearly ruined my playthrough.
Playstation early generation always wanted each generation to be defined by a new set of games. This only changes with the PS4 when the realization of strong IPs and IP cultivation became more important. Even then studios like SP and ND have said multiple times they make the games THEY want to make (Factions 2 was Naughty Dogs idea).
There are issues that need to be worked on though:
1. More diverse IP. If Media Molecule didn't waste over a decade on nonsense like Dreams we probably wouldn't have this complaint either.
2. A little More focus on children's games. Getting the young generation into gaming is important.
3. Better communication. Not over sharing like Xbox is good. But unlike Nintendo, Playstation doesn't have the constant output of exclusive games to fully earn the radio silence.
@Korgon I understood that Guerrilla were bored as well and Shadowfall didn't do too well critically and wasn't as successful as they expected commercially.
Removed - off-topic
You can celebrate in a graveyard. While the game looks great and I'm going to buy it and enjoy it, it's hard to look at a whole game of "remember this?" without getting a least a little cross about the fact that you'll probably never get more of all the "this" you're being asked to remember and clap for.
It's a bit like Capcom constantly using the Servbot as one of its core mascots, and being happy to trot out MegaMan Volnutt and Tron Bonne for cameos and nostalgia bait, but we'll never get Legends 3. We can celebrate MegaMan, but we can also be mad that he'll never get off the moon.
Like, yeah, it's a celebration, but it's a celebration of a bunch of dead things that absolutely do not have to stay dead. It especially stings after the dumpster fire that was Concord, where modern Sony is flailing around and burning money by the barrel on things nobody wants instead of making more of the games that we love, and they know we love because they put out an Astro game celebrating them every few years.
Totally a celebration! Hopefully this will give them the push to bring some of it back.
While that is a rather cynical take on Astro Bot, I can also see their point: in the context of modern-day, PS5-era Sony, there is a bit of melancholy to Astro Bot's celebration of PS history. Compare their creative output on PS5 to any other generation and the result is rather stark.
@breakneck
It sold over 2 million copies and has a metacritic in the 70's. For a launch PS4 title I'd say those are pretty great numbers. I can't comment on how tired or not they were of doing Killzone games but if that was the case, consider shopping it out to a new studio.
Heck Guerilla Cambridge would have been a great studio to take over if the main Guerilla studio didn't want it anymore. They did Killzone Mercenary on Vita and that was a fantastic game. Arguably one of the best in the series. Unfortunately they were shut down though after being forced to do a PSVR game. ☹️
Removed - trolling/baiting
I do like the newer IPs, but you point it out yourself, Last of Us took any chance of Sly Cooper away and Ghost of Tsushima will no doubt be the vision of the future now. Many of the charming action platformers and oddball titles we loved are gone and that is that. It would have been nice to see more balance, but I'm betting Astro will be our last look in to Sony games, other than high-budget AAA action or online multiplayer titles now. We will see Astro again on Ps6, perhaps... Or maybe never again, depending on how this one sells.
@Ralizah so Sony isn’t allowed to celebrate their history like Nintendo does with Smash brothers? They’ve released plenty of creative games on ps5 like GOW Ragnarok,HFW,Sackboy,Returnal, Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart,Spider-Man MM/2,Astro Bot soon to be Lego Horizon etc. all those games are very creative in what they do and are top quality. Every publisher has things they don’t do as well as others like Nintendo couldn’t write a mature story to save their life or have complex characters like Sony just like Sony doesn’t have as many all ages games that Nintendo do but that’s ok they each play to their strengths
@Korgon two million but the next game from a new IP hits 20+ million it's more than the entire Killzone franchise. Also, when Playstation did try to shop franchises to new studios the results weren't great (Thieves in Time and Jak The Lost Frontier). I would like to see a single player FPS from Playstation though and I think Concord would've actually worked better with a good Single player campaign which plays to Sonys strength.
Perhaps the success of Astrobot will make Sony order a slew of platformers from their devs. Here come Jak and Dexter, Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper PS5!
I saw that article and thought the same thing. It lamented how Sony are seemingly stuck in the past and not considering the present or future... So Kratos isn't 'present' enough apparently. And the future isn't the wonderful possibility of triple A platformers returning. What the hell they expected I have no idea. 5 hours in and it's brilliant.
@GamingFan4Lyf Astal Chain, Ring Fit Adventure, Sushi Striker and Ever Oasis are all newer IP than ARMS, and they have been on a tear of reviving decades old IP like F-Zero, Another Code, Advance Wars, Famicom Detective Club and Endless Ocean just because they seemingly felt like it.
So there's really no excuse to keep pushing forward with new IP and not also reinvent and evolve the older ones.
@RoomWithaMoose it's difficult to imagine modern Sony putting out a game like Sly... Didn't they just release Astro Bot?
@breakneck
I don't think it's a fair comparison to make though considering Horizon came out much further into the console generation. More consoles out in the wild at the time equals more potential customers. If we had a Killzone launch during the middle/end of of the PS4 generation then it would make more sense but unfortunately we never got that data. Also Killzone only launched on console. If they put that game on PC I would have been willing to bet it would have tacked on many more sales.
And I do agree Concord would have stood a better chance with a campaign. However, I think a new Killzone still would have been the better/safer choice since you already have a built-in fanbase to start with. Sell to them, get a positive word of mouth going, sell potentially many more copies as more people try it out.
Like I said I can see both sides of the argument. Sometimes a franchise has just simply ran its course and needs to rest. Killzone is just one that I strongly disagree is one of them.
My heart goes out to the miserable 14% of "glass half empty" souls out there. Cheer up.
Haters gonna hate.
But on the topic - so it is said how sony stood the test of time, it is now THE console to use, etc. Aaaand they say how bad they are..... well, what would have been if they were good?!? Own the world? 🤣
@hi_drnick And it's very at odds with the rest of their recent output. It's 'difficult' to see them do it, not 'impossible.'
Still recall that when Sly came out, we were getting Ratchet, Jak, Ape Escape, as well as NOT cartoony platformers like God of War. All but one of which were new IP, which Astro Bot isn't.
Edit
Bought the game and controller.
Controller looks great, box it came in, very cheap looking.
Game is a 9/10 for me, great humor, looks good, sound from the controller is probably the best I've heard, motion control is not for me.
A few planets done now and it's a tremendous game.
There are only a few franchises I can think of that buck the trends. God of War and Ratchet from the PS2 era, Gran Turismo from PS1 era. Maybe there are some others as well. I do wish Sony would make more games using older IPs, and give them to a different studio. They don't need to be made by the original developers if they are busy. Does a new Sly or Jak game really need to be AAA?
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