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 been a phenomenal success, selling over 1.5 million copies and earning the prestigious Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2024. This success has spurred PlayStation to explore further development within the family-friendly gaming market.

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 these wins as significant steps towards diversifying PlayStation's game portfolio, particularly in family-focused and live-service titles.

PlayStation's Family-Friendly Legacy

PlayStation boasts a history of family-friendly titles, though 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 Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon franchises are now under Xbox's umbrella. This leaves Ratchet & Clank and LittleBigPlanet, along with the recent Astro Bot, as the primary examples of PlayStation's family-focused 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 and calling the game a "celebration of everything PlayStation."

The Return of Beloved IPs?

Astro Bot's success, featuring appearances from several dormant PlayStation IPs, hints at a potential resurgence of classic franchises. Hulst previously highlighted PlayStation's extensive IP portfolio as a valuable asset, emphasizing the company's ongoing exploration of opportunities to leverage legacy IPs and develop new franchises.

The recent Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater trailer showcased the return of Ape Escape monkeys, originally 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 revival of beloved family-friendly titles. While no official announcements have been made, this points to a possible renewed focus on PlayStation's family-friendly game library.

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 and will be released weekly:

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

Doucet noted that unlike the previous Winter Wonder update, this update features more challenging levels designed to test players' skills. Each level introduces a new Special Bot to rescue, with Time Attack mode and online leaderboards available after completion. Furthermore, PS5 Pro players can now enjoy a 60fps experience.

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