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

PlayStation's renewed focus on family-friendly games, fueled by the phenomenal success of Astro Bot, signals a potential resurgence of beloved legacy IPs.

A Family-Friendly Future for PlayStation

Astro Bot's triumph, exceeding 1.5 million copies sold and earning Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024, has prompted PlayStation to expand its offerings in the family genre. This strategic shift was highlighted by Sony's President, CEO, and CFO, Hiroki Totoki, during the Q3 Earnings Announcement. The success of Helldivers 2 further solidified this direction. Totoki emphasized the awards received by these titles as a significant step towards diversifying PlayStation's game portfolio.

Reviving Dormant IPs?

While PlayStation boasts a rich history of family-friendly titles, many beloved franchises like Sly Cooper, Ape Escape, and Jak and Daxter have remained dormant for over a decade. The loss of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro to Xbox further underscores the need for PlayStation to leverage its remaining IPs. Ratchet & Clank and LittleBigPlanet remain, alongside the recent Astro Bot success, as key players in this space.

PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst stressed Astro Bot's significance to Sony, praising the small team's achievement in creating a "celebration of everything PlayStation." Hulst also highlighted the value of PlayStation's extensive IP portfolio, suggesting a potential revival of classic franchises.

Hints of a Comeback?

The appearance of Ape Escape monkeys in the Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater trailer, and the popularity of Sly Cooper on PlayStation Plus' Classics Catalog, offer intriguing clues. While no official announcements have been made, the possibility of these and other family-friendly IPs returning is certainly plausible.

Astro Bot's Continued Expansion

Starting February 13th, 2025, Astro Bot receives a free update featuring five challenging new levels within the Vicious Void Galaxy, each introducing a new Special Bot to rescue. This update, detailed by Team Asobi Studio Director Nicolas Doucet, also includes Time Attack mode with online rankings and a 60fps option for PS5 Pro users.

The release schedule for the new levels is as follows:

• February 13th: Tick-Tock Shock
• February 20th: Thrust or Bust
• February 27th: Cock-A-Doodle-Doom
• March 6th: Hard to Bear
• March 13th: Armored Hardcore

All updates will be released every Thursday at 6:00 AM PT, 2:00 PM GMT, and 10:00 PM JST. Astro Bot remains a PlayStation 5 exclusive.