PS5's Astro Bot Is Having a Much Better Launch Than Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart in the UK

Well it should really, Rift Apart came out 3 years ago and pretty early in the console lifespan. I'd be worried if it didn't sell better at launch given the much higher numbers of PS5 owners today

Go Astro!

And hopefully a sequel?! (Please)

I'm currently enjoying Hell Divers 2 and Space Marine 2. I'm daving Astro Bot for Christmas holidays!

Sucker Punch, in retaliation, says ''ok thevious raccoonnus'' and makes a new Sly Cooper game with all PS5 features.

Right?

@Milt I wish! Every time I see a raccoon near my trash bins, I shed a tear. Somewhere, in some timeline, other Jonny Weirdo is having a blast with Sly 8. I’m happy for him.

Still waiting to grab it because my backlog is such a mess. Crazy GTA V is still on these charts!

@carlos82 Yeah if the article can’t be bothered to even mention the install base growth over 3 years it’s kind of pointless. 🤷🏻‍♂️

MK8 sold more on Switch than Wii U, about 8x more at 60 million to only 8 million, but it sold “better” on Wii U, about 60% of the install base to only 40% on Switch, give or take.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Kart_8#:~:text=Mario%20Kart%208%20is%20one,Switch%20game%20at%2062.90%20million.

Of course it is two main factors.
1 more PS5 consoles sold on the market.
2 The only Sony Studio game released this year and also probably until around may ish 2025.

Either Astro didn't sell great at all, or the sales estimates of Star War Outlaws is well off, there were reports that it only sold a million copies worldwide and it sits at 4th place, does that mean Astro sold less than a million WW? Or did Outlaws just sell really well in the UK only and not the rest of the world?

Yay for Astro!

Terrible article, break it down to a ratio and than we might have something. The way it is presented it is just useless. As others above me mentioned already, more PS5 owners in the UK now, then back when R&C was released.

Got through the first world. Will go back at some point. But without VR it’s just so much less than it was. Happily playing Max Mustard and having far more fun. Highly recommended!

Both great games. I do wish that future astro games will have couch coop.

Really think Astro bot sold the best in North America.

I'm glad Astro is doing well and can't wait to see what Team Asobi does next.

Also I can't wait to see the next Ratchet & Clank & Rivet game. I loved Rift Apart. I know it will take Insomniac a while but I think it will be worth the wait.

Great news but i'm curious with the rough numbers like how big a one month sale in UK with physical + digital version combine, 100K? 200K? or 1 million copies?

How many spin articles on this site can there be?

@thefourfoldroot1 I can’t say that I agree with your take on Astro Bot, but I have to thank you for bringing Max Mustard to my attention. Now that I know it’s a VR platformer and not a condiment application simulator, it’s been added to my wishlist.

@Vivisapprentice it probably made a profit but the sales aren’t that impressive to them to announce.

It's funny as to me people that look at it go oh the nostalgia for old Nintendo/Playstation games of old. I go so while I want to praise Astro for succeeding enough/getting noticed to show games like it can happen among the original ones Sony has that don't get the same sales as their bigger, teen/mature IPs.

Old Ratchet had inspirations and experimentation to be 'it's own' it didn't try to be a Zelda or Girl with a Stick as a Tomb Raider ripoff. Yet many games would be like eh love this too much rip it off/some spins but still closely to others. Sigh. Old or modern gen we see it, but I feel it's more a case in modern gen but I still am working my way through older games so I'm still seeing it of course.

So Sony suffers a bit there even though us family friendly game type fans (aka will play anything or enjoyed those IPs or they 'aren't just for kids' and we enjoy the stories/cough gameplay of them then the direction their other IPs go or the themes pushed and gameplay is eh passable) or those fans of LBP or Ratchet aren't enough sales and families go for third parties instead as their audience grew up and the few of us still willing to buy those old IPs or family friendly IPs (like Nintendo ones as well) versus those who wish for Jak/Sly/Ape Escape and more to return and those of us who did always support Japan Studios games.

Yeah we still exist but just aren't the sales Sony wanted, audiences don't care or the marketing was so bad prior or leadership didn't care about them (or Japan Studio was too big so downscaled to Asobi for a reason which is also valid).

I also feel like it's Astro Bot is a game I just can't get behind but still good an Asobi game is getting some eyes and sales on it and GOOD MARKETING FOR ONCE SONY!

Also marketing for one then Japan Studios games of the PS4 era or some PSP/PS3 ones likely. So Astro getting it because oh gap between releases it now gets the marketing Japan Studios games needed.

I can watch PS3 in 2024 videos and go, yeah so what many of us still play it. Those videos aren't for us or if they are for validation and many of us don't need it we just play what's fun old or not and don't care. XD Not oh how dated or better or worse or whichever it is from their perspective.

I have no issue with Lego Horizon I think that it fits the 'reusing an IP older people play that kids want to play' but it can also be a bit insulting, or oh they can't wait long enough so play this instead.

I enjoy a good family friendly version of something but to me it more gives the message of you din't play Sackboy/Ratchet so go buy a family version of Horizon casual audience. When it's not the studios' fault or fans fault.

Sure Crack in Time was more ambitious and Rift Apart is trying to recapture it but doesn't. It's Tools/new but less Crack in Time. You can easily recommend Crack in Time to those bored of the Ratchet formula or the spin offs but if they wanted a spin on the formula Crack in Time is different enough.

Lego Horizon maybe could be that but not sure. It's mostly intended as a kid friendly Horizon.

Sure we get books/tv shows and so on medium expansion of an IP but making a safer game. I know Lego games do put good spins on IPs but even still.

Part 2:
Like it's cool but it also disappoints me because of what I seek games to offer not recycle old ideas. It's my problem with the racing/platformer genres. Racing is so bland and modeless. Dirt 3 to Dirt 5. 5 rarely has the obstacle course areas, 3 wanted to have many of them. 3 is the better game more variety, more fun factor not so 99% 'racing' and boring and stripped back. Like what kind of lack of creativity or effort is this garbage of modern racing games these days. Or just odd directions.

While platformers and metroidvanias, sure same genre in a way but couldn't be further from MVs know them inside and out and spin on them well. Platformers I see a bunch of nostaglia fan Indies and they either feel empty, don't have the skills, try a different direction but don't have anything ability wise exciting or just aren't good enoguh but getting there. Some get it the vibe, the design others are just eh.

Like I give Indies slack as they aren't experts, they can't do like 10 different minigames that's fine. But even the core gameplay and 1 unique moveset idea. XD Like come on. At least try and offer something good to the level design or abilities the characters are so bland to play as. Designs sure but movesets are so basic and nothing special at all.

If I can use Space Station Silicon Valley to think up ideas for Biomutant, gas immunity was the only thing I liked in that game, the rest was wow pretty typical and wow they are apocalyptic anthropomorphic animals wow not like see this before or can't understand it, like I get they are AA or under and trying but that much effort for a modern generic open world and some trend following or some cool spins on things but not enough. Sigh.

I had 'separate ideas' not rip from here (even Foamstars it's foam, what modes can you use foam and a surfboard for not just a wipeout move with a surfboard XD devs are creatively bankrupt) and put to here it shows an old game inspired me. Indies don't even do that. They just recreate or don't have the talent but make eh worlds and the 'platforming' sucks. So it's just an action adventure game with Banjo like jumping or something and boring quests and eh collectibles value.

It varies per game but many of this still suck. I have low and high expectations for them and the genre is just so bad I can't go for any but the 5th gen third parties because even with how basic some are they still have experimentation in the little details, and Indies just don't see to get that because they look to the popular ones or just don't have enough creative ideas and make them in long or short times but still miss details in the level design/movesets it's pathetic.

It's the same problem I have with Lego Horizon.

Audience problem or publisher problem for devs wanting to be creative or fans open to anything or fans more particular?

For those wanting story or graphics or themes or characters sure but for us that want gameplay I feel we get screwed over if we dream too ambitous (which is fair) or just get recycled design that's not exciting. Entry by entry or other priorities get pushed so we get safe game design, safe character movesets for casuals. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then publishers/game devs wonder why us gameplay focused aren't buying their games but happy with sales from anyway possible.

@Shad361 It felt like everyone on my X timeline was playing it, and its still the no 1 game on PSNPROFILES, but maybe only the PlayStation faithful's bought it and the general audience ignored the 'kiddy game'

Part 3:
People clearly unless large enough audiences to see the marketing or find the appeal or enjoy original games people don't ACTUALLY want them or a sizeable amount do but not the other percentage.

I go to old and new gen but still for game design so seeing highlights doesn't get me excited.

If a reference/cameo sure but even Lego Dimensions or others used the IPs well not recreated them all so much you wonder what was original in it like I do with Astrobot as nostaglic callback the game. More so how I see Astro's Playroom to Astro Bot. Playroom Camera app to Rescue Mission/Astro's Playroom games felt original but had cameos. Astro Bot to me feels like too much a museum/highlights/callbacks title & less original, it's disappointing

It has it's own to it sure & it's a Museum like Nintendo Land is but not a theme park like that is and Nintendo fans go why can't we have something like Astro you do!

Like no wonder remaking/remasters/sequels is such a great idea audiences are brand stupid, emotional and dull people, actor looking at, or otherwise. Live action trash, safe locations for level design.

I myself don't care & will experience almost anything, but regardless of jumping all over out of curiosity I still have limits to things. But I like many collectors or those that jump around and experience many things see those into narrow experiences and they are fine to do so but it does become a problem.

Us that see a lot sure we may be funding a lot by doing so but we do also by experiencing a lot learn to know what we won't experience and won't fund the next thing of and know the tropes, the business practices and more, we experience enough genres and look deeper.

Astrobot has it's original moments but how much it recreates from old games & like me I go so how much original does it actually have then nostalgia highlight recreations people?

Like I saw with a Indie Sega Rally successor. I am fine with unofficial continuations, but I want a spin on things or but nope, with how repetitive gaming is now I'm not surprised nostalgic idiots let things pass & audiences are the problem as much as devs decisions either because of audiences or the staff's values intervening with good ideas to make them duller or CEOs/leadership. So the creative ones can't get their good ideas out anymore from all sides and it saddens me.

I'd play the original or emulate it or wait it out. I don't want recycling, easy emotional baiting & so on or Indies/fans so safe and boring. Easy money.

Do I care about the creator, creation or what's better for it to be experimented with not safely put and doesn't nothing but recycle/play it safe? I want creative games not money/emotional baiting.

Has it reached the global 1M unit sales milestone yet?

@carlos82 That was my first thought, but there were barely any worthy PS5 exclusive at launch, so the competition wasn't great. In the end that article means absolutely nothing and the comparison doesn't make much sense.

Best R&C game was Tools of Destruction on the PS3.