PlayStation Embraces Family-Friendly Games Post Astro Bot Success

Sony plans to create more family-genre games due to the recent success of Astro Bot. Read on to learn more about Astro Bot’s success and PlayStation’s legacy IPs.

PlayStation Wants To Expand In The Family Genre

Astro Bot Sold Over 1.5 Million Copies

Astro Bot has achieved remarkable success since its release in September 2024, 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 consider expanding its family genre offerings. During the Sony Q3 Earnings Announcement on February 13, 2025, Sony's President, CEO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki praised Astro Bot's achievements, noting its wins in four categories at The Game Awards 2024, including Game of the Year and Best Family Game. He also highlighted the success of Helldivers 2, which won Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game.

Totoki emphasized PlayStation's strategic move towards a broader title portfolio, 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 some have not seen new entries in recent years. As reported by The Gamer, franchises like Sly Cooper, Ape Escape, and Jak and Daxter have been dormant for over a decade. Meanwhile, iconic series like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon have moved to Xbox, leaving Ratchet & Clank and Little Big Planet as the primary family genre titles PlayStation has focused on in recent years, 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, saying, "Astro is very, very important to PlayStation. It’s remarkable that a very small team is able to deliver a game that is so big, it’s really become a great game in itself, and it’s become a celebration of everything PlayStation at this point."

Possibility Of Legacy IPs Returning

Astro Bot's inclusion of multiple dormant PlayStation IPs hints at a potential revival of these beloved series. Hulst has spoken about 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 Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater trailer featured 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 suggests a strong interest in these classic titles. While no official announcements have been made, these developments could signal PlayStation's intent to revisit 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 enjoy a free update that introduces five new levels. Team Asobi Studio Director Nicolas Doucet announced this exciting news on PlayStation.Blog on February 13, 2025. The update includes a level from the PlayStation XP Tournament Final in London, England, set within the new Vicious Void Galaxy.

The new levels are:

• 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 levels will be released 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 features a new Special Bot to rescue, and once completed, can be replayed in Time Attack mode with online rankings. PS5 Pro players can also enjoy the game at 60fps.

Astro Bot is available exclusively on PlayStation 5. For more information about the game, visit our Astro Bot page.