Astro Bot Success Inspires PlayStation to Focus More on Family Friendly Games

Sony's plans to expand its family-friendly game offerings are fueled by 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 enjoyed 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 explore the family-friendly gaming market.

During Sony's Q3 Earnings Announcement on February 13, 2025, President, CEO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki discussed Astro Bot's impact and future plans. He highlighted its four Game Awards 2024 wins, including Game of the Year and Best Family Game, alongside Helldivers 2's success (Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game). Totoki emphasized these wins as significant steps towards a broader and more diverse game portfolio, specifically targeting family-friendly and live service titles.

PlayStation's Family-Friendly History

While PlayStation boasts a history of family-friendly titles, many have seen limited recent activity. As noted by The Gamer, franchises like Sly Cooper, Ape Escape, and Jak and Daxter haven't received new installments in over a decade. Furthermore, the acquisition of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon by Xbox leaves Ratchet & Clank and LittleBigPlanet, alongside the recent Astro Bot, as PlayStation's primary family-focused franchises in recent years.

In a December 2024 interview with Famitsu, PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst underscored Astro Bot's importance to Sony, calling it "very, very important" and praising the small team's achievement in creating such a significant and celebrated game.

The Potential Return of Legacy IPs

Astro Bot's success, featuring appearances from several dormant PlayStation IPs, hints at a possible revival of classic franchises. Hulst previously emphasized the value of PlayStation's extensive IP portfolio, stating that they continuously explore opportunities to leverage legacy IPs alongside new franchise development.

The recent Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater trailer showcased the return of Ape Escape monkeys, previously featured in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The success of Sly Cooper on PlayStation Plus' Classics Catalog, achieving high ratings on the PlayStation Store, further supports this possibility. While no official announcements have been made, this suggests a potential renewed focus on PlayStation's family-friendly legacy titles.

New Astro Bot Content Arriving February 13, 2025

Five New Levels and Special Bots

A free update for Astro Bot launches February 13, 2025. As announced on PlayStation.Blog on February 13, 2025, Team Asobi Studio Director Nicolas Doucet revealed exciting new content.

Five new levels, including one from the PlayStation XP Tournament Final in London, will be added to the 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, released every Thursday at 6:00 AM PT, 2:00 PM GMT, and 10:00 PM JST, will feature challenging levels designed to test players' skills, each with a new Special Bot to rescue. Completed levels can be replayed in Time Attack mode with online rankings, and PS5 Pro users can enjoy a 60fps experience.

Astro Bot is available exclusively on PlayStation 5. Visit our Astro Bot page for more information.