Sony’s Next Big Thing: More Astro Bot Games Coming!

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Summary

  • Sony plans to make more games like Astro Bot.
  • The company says Astro Bot’s success validated its strategic expansion to family-friendly games.
  • As of late 2024, Astro Bot is estimated to have made back its development budget around ten times over—and counting.

According to a high-ranking representative from Sony, they plan to launch additional games similar to the popular title “Astro Bot”. This move is seen as an expansion of Sony’s focus on creating games that cater to families.

In early September 2024, Team Asobi’s fresh platformer was introduced exclusively on PlayStation 5. Known as Astro Bot, this game received overwhelmingly positive reviews across the board. So much so, that all major review platforms ranked it as the top-rated game of 2024. It not only sold well beyond expectations but also collected numerous awards, solidifying its status as both a critical and financial triumph.

In the future, Sony intends to produce additional games similar to Astro Bot, as stated by Sony President Hiroki Totoki in a conference call on February 13 after the release of their recent financial report. This information was reported by VGC.

Astro Bot’s Success Didn’t Change Sony’s Game Strategy

In light of Astro Bot‘s recent string of accolades, Totoki indicated that its success didn’t fundamentally alter Sony’s overall approach to content—however, it did serve as confirmation of their strategy. This same idea was expressed by the executive regarding Helldivers 2, which won both Best Multiplayer Game and Best Ongoing Game at The Game Awards 2024. “The recognition bestowed upon games in genres we aim to grow, such as family-friendly titles and live service games, is a significant step forward in our quest to create a diverse library of games,” Totoki shared during the earnings call.

Winning awards for titles within genres we aim to expand in the future (such as family-friendly content and live service games) significantly advances our goal of creating a diverse collection of high-quality titles.

Astro Bot Likely Made Back Its Budget 10 Times Over—And Counting

The sales momentum of Astro Bot, the latest game from Team Asobi, has mirrored its critical acclaim. Sony reported that by early November 2024, nine weeks after its release, Astro Bot had sold over 1.5 million copies. Although this number is smaller than what’s typically expected for a big Game of the Year (GOTY) winner, it’s likely enough for Astro Bot to have earned back its investment several times over. This is particularly significant considering that Astro Bot was developed by a team of around 65 people based in Japan over just three years. According to Glassdoor, the median game developer salary in Tokyo is approximately $45,600 per year before taxes, suggesting that the budget for Astro Bot might have been around $9 million without taking into account marketing costs and inflation. By November 2024, this would represent about 10% of the game’s revenue.

In related updates, the popular game Astro Bot got its newest DLC level named Tick-Tock Shock on February 13th. For the next four weeks, a new free level will be added to the game every Thursday, with the final addition scheduled for March 13th. It remains uncertain if Team Asobi has any plans for additional post-launch content after this period.

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2025-02-13 18:44