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Astro Bot, the full-fledged mascot platformer outing from Sony first-party developer Team Asobi, took around 60 developers around three years to create. That's according to GamesIndustry.biz's Chris Dring (thanks, PSU), who said on the GI Microcast: "I've played it; it's amazing. It took about three years to make, and 60 people made it; I think it fits in with... I think it's going to be an interesting little project, that one."
Reputedly the biggest game Team Asobi has ever made, with over 150 cameos from PlayStation's long legacy of colourful characters, more than 80 levels, and 15 new abilities, it sounds like a hearty offering which will undoubtedly be embraced by the PlayStation faithful. Asobi's games have typically been smaller in scope, including The Playroom, The Playroom VR, Astro Bot Rescue Mission, and Astro's Playroom.
Astro Bot releases exclusively on PS5 on 6th September 2024. Will you be going along for the ride? Let us know in the comments section below.
[source youtube.com, via psu.com]
Comments 47
That's pretty great seeing making of games required too much time and resources.....
And it will be profitable in less than a week or two. These are games that can really help, plus they are just fun. I’m looking forward to it.
Did you just refer to astro-bot as playstations main mascot ? no way !
@nomither6 Why not? It's a great mascot. Instantly recognisable, part of a free game included with each PS5, easily dressed up as any other video game character. Everything about Astro feels like a celebration of Playstation, which is perfect for a mascot.
I genuinely can't wait for it. Loved Astros playroom. Always wanted to try rescue mission but never got VR as it never went cheap enough for me.
I think this will blow fans away
And yet they still reuse boss encounters from Rescue Mission…that’s the only part about this joyful looking game that I was a little disappointed by. But I guess they just wanted non VR users to experience a fraction of the wonder Rescue Mission players did.
A game that reminds us of simpler times when games were fun without any live-service or in game transactions, a time when we didn't have to wait for a decade to get a sequel to a fan-favorite series. Fingers crossed this one is going to sell at least 10 million copies, so Sony will learn their lesson and change the way they make games.
Now if only sony can maintain that time-frame for all there games
@HonestHick i came to post the same thing. All these games that take 6 years +, hundreds of devs and 250+ mil in budget are all well and good but they are about to be schooled by the little white bot. I agree tho, these are the sort of games that game PS its identity back in the day. Games like ratchet, Jak, Sly etc are a breath of fresh air to play.
@FantasyExplor3r88 You should finger cross for 1 million copies because i have big doubt this game can even sell 500K
@Ainu20 don’t forget, Astro is also perfect for all ages! I completely agree, Astro is a great mascot for PlayStation.
@FantasyExplor3r88 10 million? 😂🤣😂 Astros Playroom is great & one of the few games that actually feel “next gen” , but how many people have played or let alone have even beaten the game since it’s free with all PS5s?
@thefourfoldroot1 Mario - bowser , king boo baby bowser .
Zelda - Ganon
If it works , it works .
@nomither6 It's a really cute mascot nobody would have a issue with I don't see the harm here?
Smaller teams with smaller budgets and with more freedom to take some risks we need more of this.
LBP styled platformers without breaking the bank a Tearaway unfolded is also really cool. We need more small games I would love to see Sony become Sony again.
Smaller games that have the option to take more risks without breaking the bank and almost bankrupting a company.
This game will have an impact, no doubt. But will it stop or even reverse the current trend for big publishers?
The trend seems to me to be towards big Western studios and cinematic AAA games with very safe gameplay mechanics. We lament here for several years now, but the closures or shrinking at PS Studios (Japan Studio, London Studio, Media Molecule, Pixelopus) and Xbox (Tango, Arkane Austin) points in a different direction.
@nomither6 not sure if you wanted an answer, but on psnprofiles it's almost a quarter of a million players that have seen it all the way to platinum, something like just under half the number of people who have launched the game and are members on psnprofiles. And that's just one trophy tracking site.
Definitely looking forward to this game. Im sure I will have a lot of fun with this game and a lot of people as well.
Already pre-ordered the physical copy.
Shopped around and got it cheap. Just a shame that the pre-order bonuses seem to be for the waaay more expensive digital versions.. it's almost like they want an all digital future with the bonuses for digital pre-orders!!
Astro is the perfect mascot for Sony
@Ainu20 Kinda like Sackboy 2.0 then? The danger of making a character symbolize every other brand, is leaving them little recognizable personality themselves.
@thefourfoldroot1 same characters but the fights look completely different, I mean nintendo has used bowser as the main boss in most of the mario games for the last 40 years lol.
@PuppetMaster I think it's going to sell millions of copies. Rescue mission sold over a million.
N.i.c.e. its shows.astro bot looks amazing.word up son
That actually sounds like a good development cost. I am sure it will turn a big profit.
Sony are absolute idiots for not leaning heavily into Astro this gen and solidifying him as thier Mario. He's perfect in every way for the job.
Sony are bigger idiots for not making this game PSVR2 compatible. I understand not making it exclusive but there is simply no excuse to not have it be both like RE4 and 8 did.
Easily the biggest disappointment and betrayal in all this generation of gaming.
Very very smart bringing out a little free dlc for the preinstalled game. I 100%ed it very quick, loved every minute then moved on. I'd forgotten how brilliant it was.
It was on my sons ps5 so have started going through whole thing again.
I think this is a day one for me, they deserve my money
@Americansamurai1
Not to me. The fight on the back of the bird looked the same in the short clip I saw.
@HonestHick I would even think that it is already profitable. I would love to see the pre-orders figures
@thefourfoldroot1 you might want to YouTube or play the boss fight again because it's completely different.
So pumped for this, it's one of them games that will appeal to my entire household
@Americansamurai1
I’ll take another look. I played through RM again recently so it’s pretty fresh in my mind…
@thefourfoldroot1 i just watched the fight on YouTube again and it's completely different.
The quality on show for this one with what i think is a smallish development (?), is excellent. Plus we already know from hands on that performance is good.
The only game this year I have pre ordered.
I’m actually so bummed this is 1 player
@nomither6 I beat it in the first day of owning PS5
@Kidfunkadelic83 i agree 100%. I think this will easily be the most fun title to play on PS5 in 2025. Obviously thats subjective. But for me it will be. PS will need the big AAA’s in 2025. But for now this will be a lot of fun and make money. So much so i wouldn’t be surprised to see another game on PS6 in 3-4 years.
@Sergo yeah shouldn’t take it long to make its money back. Not saying they made the game for penny’s i know it cost some. But it’s not a Spider-man or Gears of war type budget. I haven’t pre ordered it yet. But i will get around to it and for sure play it day 1.
Great to hear just like the past, fewer devs, more controlled management and engagement from staff, smaller game in this case then a Song of the Deep type Spyro scale team for a Metroidvania AAA or however much for Pentiment.
The rare moments we see it happen are always nice to see to fill in gaps or just sometimes in my case are the console buying type games then the other bigger titles but it varies for each person.
Hardcore sales I can't wait for it to do well, for more than that for casual families/kids I don't know but maybe. But for hardcore players and their families I can't wait for this to sell well or others that still love a good platformer or good family friendly game and enjoying their inter child gaming experience again years later.
Let alone COD PS3 era at 200 and fair ideas at the time whatever the case of management Activision had to 300+ employees and many studios than just the 2 doing their thing prior and worse results as well. Then again EA treating NFS or others to milk was just as bad let alone other studio deaths of the 90s/00s they offered.
Says a lot really. It's not just because it's a platformer and may not require much (I mean many games of Spyro Reignited, Ratchet, Sonic all require a fair bit for sure with the right effort put in of personality, polish and ideas in mind) it's that they had the better effort put into the game, regardless of artstyle, good attention to detail the many PlayStation references or Astro related world elements that are charming.
They made it in a shorter time and it shows with many signs in the trailers and in articles like this with how they manage their business and budget correctly and control things much better no matter their skills and coordination.
Something many studios and publishers could take notes from cough cough.
@Archius9 Would be nice but I think it's good enough for it being focused as it is for one player at the moment. Maybe a two player update. Maybe a two player game later.
But yeah co-op platformers besides Sackboy or It Takes Two or others yeah not that common these days. More common in the older era or other genres a co-op campaign mode and sigh online then offline co-op more so. That and being more than just a Mario game with a cursor too.
@Max_the_German It's very much a sign of possibilities but industry changing nope as much as we wish it would it won't change anything.
Even ones that have or could didn't change anything either for other genres or studios success to prove things. The state of things will still keep happening but stories and teams showing it's possible will still be proving what could and can happen.
@nomither6 Agreed, many of us love it but the average person or people very dedicated to what they like of even besides sports/COD/trending games many would treat Astro as a kids game and ignore it while many of us would be like yes please an experience like it or like older eras.
@thefourfoldroot1 I wondered that too at times in the trailer what recycling was done, sometimes it's fine but other times and how much they do I do question it and would prefer more effort in new environments or bosses/stages to them or enemy types that aren't reskins, recycled animations or stages either.
With the many AAs of PS2 I've played or others I see recycling aspects sometimes I can give it a pass but in others I can't and AAA or not some things need enough distinction texture recycling or other assets/level design, minigames, movesets, etc.
That or reusing areas saying 'there is a mission here' and me just facepalming going great we really need more than that recycling extent in some games. Backtracking I don't mind but story wise later or keeping a key moment again is just not good design and can devalue the experience. Let alone a remade level being worse than the original either even if recontextualised what's happening in it and some parts being cut down and less exciting even if to show time has past or a different region of the same labelled area or a few parts crossover.
@Americansamurai1 I can't find the official sales numbers for Rescue Mission. So i don't know where you seen 1 million copies for Rescue Misison. But hopefully Astro Bot can reach that numbers.
I have a feeling (and hope) this will sell amazingly well but I'm just a little gutted there's no VR mode. Rescue Mission is one of my favourite platform games ever (VR or flat screen).
But who would have thought that making a game that's open to everyone, doesn't cost hundreds of millions and is just fun to play would be a good idea???
Oh wait.... Nintendo and every game they ever release. 😂
I hope this sells enough, to make Sony realize, that they don't need to spend $300 million, and 6-7 years to make a first party game.
@PuppetMaster insomniac leaks
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