Astro Bot: Sony's Nintendo Playbook for Universal Appeal?

Speaking on the PlayStation podcast, SIE CEO Hermen Hulst and game director Nicolas Doucet explain why Astro Bot has become “very, very important” to PlayStation, offering a glimpse into what the company's next strides would be in the gaming industry.

Astro Bot Is “Very, Very Important” For PlayStation in Expansion to “Family-Friendly” Market

PlayStation Wants You to Smile and Laugh with Their Games

For Astro Bot game director Nicolas Doucet from Sony-owned Team Asobi, aiming for the stars with Astro Bot has always been the goal—to cement it as one of the greatest games on PlayStation that caters to all. From the get-go the Astro Bot team planned on"elevating Astro into becoming a character who could be proudly presenting next to the amazing franchises from PlayStation Studios." He added, "I think there's a bigger meaning to all of this—I think it's to really capture the 'all ages' category."

Doucet further explained during a recent episode on the PlayStation podcast, along with SIE CEO Hermen Hulst, that he wants to have "as many people as possible" playing Astro Bot. He added, "whether they are gamers or first-time gamers, because they're going to be perhaps, kids, who'll have [Astro Bot] as their first game they ever play." The game director additionally said that being "able to really put a smile on all of these people's faces" has always been the greater goal PlayStation had with the creation of Astro Bot.

Astro Bot is a "back-to-basics" game, according to Doucet, which places greater emphasis on the gameplay than the storytelling. "As a result, the heartbeat of the player—the experience that you have—from start to finish is something we [wanted] to calibrate." He further remarked that "being able to relax in front of games and have a good time" is an aspect of great importance to the Astro Bot team, "making people smile—laugh, even; not just smile—laugh with the game is really, really important," he added.

When specifically asked about considering allocating more resources into developing more family-friendly titles, CEO Hulst explained that it is "massively important" for PlayStation Studios to develop games in "various genres" and that the "family market is really important" for the company to focus on.

He additionally shared: "It’s interesting that Nico and I, at the beginning of the project, talked a little bit about platformers—so many of the great ones come out of Japan and I was kind of joking with him saying ‘let’s see some of those best games coming out of the country that you operate out of and see the bar’, and I’m just so excited that they’re delivering that now." Hulst further praised Team Asobi for creating a massive game that "plays like some of the best in that genre." Astro Bot is "so accessible" Hulst further remarked, which bolsters ITS Appeals to many players of any age—"from new players to young players [and] also players of my age."

"Astro is very, very important to PlayStation," Hulst said. "Obviously we had the pre-install with the PlayStation 5 that millions and millions have embraced and loved, and I think that’s becoming a little bit of a platform to launch this new game now." He added, "It's become a great game in itself, but it has [also] become a celebration of everything PlayStation at this point," further remarking that "l;it's kind of becoming synonymous with PlayStation and with our innovation and legacy in great single-player gaming that we have at PlayStation Studios."

Amid Concord Flop, Sony Says It Needs More Original IP

Elsewhere in the Astro Bot episode of the podcast, CEO Hulst remarked that PlayStation's game portolio has become varied over the years and that the gaming giant's platform has reached "bigger" and wider audiences. "Game launches are massively important and they’re different for every team," Hulst started. "In my new role as a CEO of the Studio Business Group at SIE, I look a little bit more at the business aspect of a launch," adding that targetting various genres is of great importance to PlayStation Studios, with much emphasis on the family market.

"PlayStation has a bigger community than it’s ever had and I think our portfolio of great games is more diverse now," he said, adding that with the launch of Astro Bot, they are able to celebrate and deliver on "what PlayStation has made great over the years—it’s a celebration of joy and of collaboration."

In a recent interview with the Financial Times published on September 4, Sony chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida said that the company doesn't have enough original IPs that it has built from the ground up, mentioning that they "have the technology and creation is the area where we like and where we can contribute the most."

"Whether it’s for games, films or anime, we don’t have that much IP that we fostered from the beginning," Yoshida said. "We’re lacking the early phase (of IP) and that’s an issue for us," chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki added, noting that Sony historically only had better luck in bringing already established IP popular in Japan to a wider, global audience. A few of those game franchises include Gran Turismo, Bloodborne, Ghost of Tsushima—and now more recently, Astro Bot.

Financial analyst Atul Goyal said that Sony's new focus is "a natural part" of the company's expansion into "a fully integrated media company," according to Financial Times. "One thing that you need is IP, that is step one," Goyal reportedly said. "And if you don’t start creating or buying in those that do, then the risk is someone else will do it. So the risk is not doing anything."

Yoshida's statement came just two days before the infamous shutdown of Sony's first-person hero shooter, Concord. The 5v5 hero shooter—that lived to only two weeks old—launched to overwhelmingly negative reviews and disappointing sales performance, during a time when the company evolves its IP creation strategy.

In a post published last week, Sony and Concord developer Firewalk said that the hero shooter would be taken offline for an indefinite length of time to "determine the best path ahead" and "explore options, including those that will better reach our players." The team wrote on the PlayStation Blog: "While we determine the best path ahead, Concord sales will cease immediately and we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased the game for PS5 or PC." Prior to Concord's shutdown, the game was slated to become part of Amazon's Secret Level series. However, it's currently unclear whether further plans for Concord will still push through.