PlayStation Boosts Family Games After Astro Bot Success

Sony is set to expand its horizons in the family gaming genre, inspired by the remarkable success of Astro Bot. Dive into the details of Astro Bot's achievements and how PlayStation plans to leverage its legacy IPs.

PlayStation Wants To Expand In The Family Genre

Astro Bot Sold Over 1.5 Million Copies

Since its launch in September 2024, Astro Bot has achieved phenomenal success, selling over 1.5 million copies and clinching the Game of the Year title at The Game Awards 2024. This triumph has spurred PlayStation to further explore the family gaming market.

During the Sony Q3 Earnings Announcement on February 13, 2025, Sony's President, CEO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki discussed Astro Bot's impact and the company's future direction. He highlighted the game's wins in four categories at The Game Awards 2024, including Game of the Year and Best Family Game. Totoki also praised the successful launch of Helldivers 2, which won Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game.

He emphasized PlayStation's recent achievements in these genres, stating, "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."

Family Genre Titles Under PlayStation

PlayStation has a rich history with family genre titles, though recent years have seen fewer new releases. As noted by The Gamer, franchises like Sly Cooper, Ape Escape, and Jak and Daxter have not seen new entries in over a decade.

Meanwhile, iconic PlayStation titles such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon have moved to Xbox, leaving Ratchet & Clank and Little Big Planet as the primary family genre games PlayStation has focused on recently, alongside the latest hit, Astro Bot.

In a December 2024 interview with Famitsu, PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst underscored Astro Bot's significance to Sony. He remarked, "Astro is very, very important to PlayStation," and praised the small team's ability to create a game that celebrates everything PlayStation.

Possibility Of Legacy IPs Returning

Astro Bot's inclusion of various PlayStation titles has brought "dormant IPs" back into the spotlight. Hulst has 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 trailer for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater showcased the return of Ape Escape monkeys, a nod to the original Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater's Snake vs. Monkey mini-game. Additionally, Sly Cooper's success on PlayStation Plus’ Classics Catalog and its high ratings on the PlayStation Store suggest a potential revival of these beloved titles.

While no official announcements have been made, these developments hint at PlayStation's interest in revisiting its family genre legacy IPs.

New Astro Bot Content Starting February 13, 2025

Five New Levels and Special Bots

Starting February 13, 2025, Astro Bot fans can look forward to a free update. In a PlayStation.Blog post on the same day, Team Asobi Studio Director Nicolas Doucet announced exciting new content for the game.

Astro Bot will introduce four new levels, including one featured during the PlayStation XP Tournament Final in London, England. These levels will be part of the 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

These updates will roll out every Thursday at 6:00 AM PT, 2:00 PM GMT, and 10:00 PM JST from February 13 to March 13. Doucet noted that these levels will be more challenging, focusing on testing players' jumping skills. Each level will introduce a new Special Bot to rescue, and completed levels can be replayed in Time Attack mode with online rankings. PS5 Pro players will enjoy the game at 60fps.

Astro Bot is exclusively available on PlayStation 5. For more details, visit our Astro Bot page.