Sony plans to create more family-genre games due to the recent success of Astro Bot. Read to learn more about Astro Bot’s success and PlayStation’s legacy IPs.
PlayStation Wants To Expand In The Family Genre
Astro Bot Sold Over 1.5 Million Copies
Astro Bot has seen overwhelming success since its release in September 2024. The game has sold over 1.5 million copies and recently won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024. However, it seems that PlayStation is not done with the family genre, and is looking to create similar games due to Astrobot's recent success.
During the Sony Q3 Earnings Announcement on February 13, 2025, Sony President, CEO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki shared his insights on Astro Bot’s success and the company’s plans moving forward. He highlighted Astro Bot winning four categories in The Game Awards 2024, which include Game of the Year and Best Family Game. Along with Astro Bot, he also mentioned the successful launch of Helldivers 2, winning Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game.
He spoke on PlayStation’s recent success in these genres. “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,” Totoki said.
Family Genre Titles Under PlayStation
There have been multiple family genre titles under PlayStation through the years, but few have been utilized recently. As mentioned by The Gamer, titles like Sly Cooper, Ape Escape, and Jak and Daxter have not had new entries in the past decade.
Meanwhile, classic PlayStation titles such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon are now with Xbox. This leaves Ratchet & Clank and Little Big Planet as the only titles that PlayStation has worked in the family genre in the past few years, and their most recent release with Astro Bot.
During an interview with Famitsu in December 2024, PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst reiterated the importance of Astro Bot to Sony. According to Hulst, “Astro is very, very important to PlayStation,” and added, "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."
Possibility Of Legacy IPs Returning
Astro Bot featured multiple titles from PlayStation, which saw "dormant IPs" used after a long while. Hulst previously mentioned the importance of PlayStation’s extensive IP portfolio, making it a valuable asset for the company. He explained, "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 revealed the return of Ape Escape monkeys in the game, which was previously included in the original Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater as part of its Snake vs. Monkey mini-game. Another notable classic is Sly Cooper, which saw success during its release on PlayStation Plus’ Classics Catalog and became one of the highest-rated games on the PlayStation Store.
Although there have been no official announcements, this could be a sign that PlayStation might tap into their previous titles, particularly family genre games, for the foreseeable future.
New Astro Bot Content Starting February 13, 2025
Five New Levels and Special Bots
Astro Bot will be having a free update for its fans starting February 13, 2025. In PlayStation.Blog on February 13, 2025, Team Asobi Studio Director Nicolas Doucet shared exciting news for Astro Bots fans regarding the game’s new updates.
Astro Bot will be giving 4 new additional levels for free, including the level featured during the PlayStation XP Tournament Final in London, England. These five levels will be coming inside the brand-new Vicious Void Galaxy.
● 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 Astro Bot updates from February 13 to March 13 will be available every Thursday at 6:00 AM PT, 2:00 PM GMT, and 10:00 PM JST.
Doucet pointed out that, unlike their previous Winter Wonder update, this new update will feature "harder levels to test your jumping skills." Each level will come with a brand-new Special Bot to rescue, and once finished, the level can be replayed in Time Attack mode with online rankings. Additionally, PS5 Pro players can now experience the game running at 60fps.
Astro Bot is available exclusively on PlayStation 5. Check out our Astro Bot page for more information about the game.
Source:
Sony FY2025 Q3 Earnings
PlayStation 30th Anniversary Famitsu Interview
Astro Bot New Update PlayStation.blog
