PlayStation Shifts Focus to Family-Friendly Games After Astro Bot Success

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 achieved phenomenal success, selling over 1.5 million copies and earning the coveted Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2024. This success has solidified PlayStation's commitment to expanding its family-friendly game portfolio.

During Sony's Q3 Earnings Announcement on February 13, 2025, President, CEO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki highlighted Astro Bot's triumph, noting its four Game Awards wins, including Game of the Year and Best Family Game. He also cited the success of Helldivers 2, winner of Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game. Totoki emphasized that these wins represent significant progress in PlayStation's strategy to broaden its game portfolio, specifically in family-friendly and live service titles.

PlayStation's Family-Friendly Game History

While PlayStation boasts a history of family-friendly titles, many have seen limited activity recently. 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 shift of classic IPs like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon to Xbox leaves Ratchet & Clank and LittleBigPlanet, along with the recent Astro Bot, as the primary representatives of PlayStation's family-friendly efforts in recent years.

In a December 2024 interview with Famitsu, PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst underscored Astro Bot's significance to Sony, stating, “Astro is very, very important to PlayStation," praising the small team's achievement in creating a "great game...a celebration of everything PlayStation."

The Potential Return of Legacy IPs

Astro Bot's success, featuring appearances from several dormant PlayStation IPs, highlights the value of Sony's extensive IP portfolio. Hulst has previously emphasized this, 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, 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 suggests a potential resurgence of these classic franchises. While no official announcements have been made, this points towards a possible future focus on reviving PlayStation's family-friendly legacy IPs.

New Astro Bot Content Arriving February 13, 2025

Five New Levels and Special Bots

Astro Bot players can look forward to a free update starting February 13, 2025. In a PlayStation.Blog post on that date, Team Asobi Studio Director Nicolas Doucet announced exciting new content.

Five new levels will be added, including the level featured in the PlayStation XP Tournament Final in London. These levels comprise the new Vicious Void Galaxy, with releases scheduled as follows:

• 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 released every Thursday at 6:00 AM PT, 2:00 PM GMT, and 10:00 PM JST.

Doucet noted that unlike the Winter Wonder update, this update will feature more challenging levels. Each level includes a new Special Bot to rescue, and completed levels can be replayed in Time Attack mode with online rankings. PS5 Pro players will also enjoy a 60fps experience.

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