Sony's plans to expand its family-friendly game offerings are directly linked to the remarkable success of Astro Bot. Read on to discover more about Astro Bot's achievements and PlayStation's potential revival of legacy IPs.
PlayStation Expands into the Family Genre
Astro Bot Surpasses 1.5 Million Copies Sold
Since its September 2024 release, Astro Bot has been a phenomenal success, selling over 1.5 million copies and earning the coveted Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2024. This triumph has spurred PlayStation to further invest in the family-friendly gaming market.
During Sony's Q3 Earnings Announcement on February 13, 2025, President, CEO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki highlighted Astro Bot's four Game Awards wins (including Game of the Year and Best Family Game), alongside Helldivers 2's Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game wins. He emphasized these successes as significant steps towards broadening PlayStation's game portfolio, specifically in family-focused and live service titles. Totoki stated, “The fact that titles in genres we are aiming to expand in the future, including titles for families and live service games, have received these awards is a major stride toward our building a broader title portfolio.”
PlayStation's Family-Friendly History
PlayStation boasts a rich history of family-friendly titles, though many have seen limited releases in recent years. As noted by The Gamer, franchises like Sly Cooper, Ape Escape, and Jak and Daxter haven't seen new entries in over a decade. The departure of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon to Xbox further limits PlayStation's current family-friendly lineup, leaving Ratchet & Clank, LittleBigPlanet, and the newly successful Astro Bot as recent examples.
In a December 2024 interview with Famitsu, PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst underscored Astro Bot's importance to Sony, stating, “Astro is very, very important to PlayStation…It’s remarkable that a very small team is able to deliver a game that is so big, it’s really become a great game in itself, and it’s become a celebration of everything PlayStation at this point.”
The Potential Return of Beloved IPs
Astro Bot's success, featuring several "dormant" PlayStation IPs, hints at a potential resurgence of classic family-friendly franchises. Hulst previously emphasized the value of PlayStation's extensive IP portfolio, stating, "Our extensive IP portfolio is an important asset for PlayStation, and as part of our efforts to strengthen our portfolio, we continually explore opportunities to leverage our legacy IP as well as develop new franchises."
The recent Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater trailer showcased the return of Ape Escape monkeys, originally featured in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The success of Sly Cooper on PlayStation Plus' Classics Catalog, becoming one of the platform's highest-rated games, further strengthens the case for revisiting these beloved IPs. While no official announcements have been made, the signs point towards PlayStation exploring its legacy titles, particularly those within the family-friendly genre.
New Astro Bot Content Arriving February 13, 2025
Five New Levels and Special Bots
Starting February 13, 2025, Astro Bot players can enjoy a free update featuring five new levels, including the level showcased at the PlayStation XP Tournament Final in London. These levels are part of the new Vicious Void Galaxy, and will be released weekly:
- February 13: Tick-Tock Shock
- February 20: Thrust or Bust
- February 27: Cock-A-Doodle-Doom
- March 6: Hard to Bear
- March 13: Armored Hardcore
All updates will be available every Thursday at 6:00 AM PT, 2:00 PM GMT, and 10:00 PM JST.
Team Asobi Studio Director Nicolas Doucet, in a PlayStation.Blog post on February 13, 2025, noted that unlike the Winter Wonder update, these levels will present a greater challenge to players' jumping skills. Each level introduces a new Special Bot to rescue, and once completed, can be replayed in Time Attack mode with online leaderboards. PS5 Pro players will also experience the game at a boosted 60fps.
Astro Bot is available exclusively on PlayStation 5. Visit our Astro Bot page for more information.
