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 prestigious Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2024. This triumph, however, is just the beginning for PlayStation's foray into the family gaming market.

During Sony's Q3 Earnings Announcement on February 13, 2025, President, CEO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki discussed Astro Bot's impact and the company's future plans. He highlighted Astro Bot's four Game Awards 2024 wins, including Game of the Year and Best Family Game, alongside Helldivers 2's wins for Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game.

Totoki emphasized PlayStation's recent success in these genres, 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.”

PlayStation's Family-Friendly History

PlayStation boasts a rich 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 seen new entries in over a decade. The loss of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon to Xbox further underscores the need for PlayStation to bolster its family-friendly lineup. Currently, Ratchet & Clank and LittleBigPlanet, along with the recent Astro Bot, represent PlayStation's recent efforts in this genre.

In a December 2024 interview with Famitsu, PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst reiterated Astro Bot's significance to Sony, stating, “Astro is very, very important to PlayStation,” and adding, "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."

The Potential Return of Beloved IPs

Astro Bot's success, featuring appearances from various dormant PlayStation IPs, hints at a potential resurgence of classic franchises. Hulst previously emphasized 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 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 strengthens the case for revisiting these beloved franchises. While no official announcements have been made, the signs point towards PlayStation potentially tapping into its rich library of family-friendly IPs.

New Astro Bot Content Arriving February 13, 2025

Five New Levels and Special Bots

Starting February 13, 2025, Astro Bot players can enjoy a free update featuring five new levels, including the level showcased at the PlayStation XP Tournament Final in London. These levels are part of 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.

Team Asobi Studio Director Nicolas Doucet, in a PlayStation.Blog post on February 13, 2025, highlighted that unlike the previous 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 benefit from a boosted 60fps experience.

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