Astro Bot Success Inspires PlayStation to Focus More on Family Friendly Games

PlayStation's renewed focus on family-friendly games, fueled by the phenomenal success of Astro Bot, signals a potential resurgence of beloved legacy IPs.

Astro Bot's Triumph: Astro Bot, released in September 2024, has surpassed 1.5 million copies sold and clinched the Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2024. This success, along with the strong performance of Helldivers 2, prompted Sony's leadership to emphasize expansion into family-focused and live-service titles.

Sony's renewed interest in family gaming is evident in their recent statements. During the Sony Q3 Earnings Announcement (February 13, 2025), President, CEO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki highlighted Astro Bot's multiple award wins as a significant step towards diversifying PlayStation's game portfolio.

A Legacy of Family Fun: PlayStation boasts a rich history of family-friendly titles, including Sly Cooper, Ape Escape, and Jak and Daxter. However, many of these franchises have remained dormant for over a decade. The loss of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon to Xbox further underscores the need for PlayStation to revitalize its family-focused offerings. Currently, Ratchet & Clank and LittleBigPlanet are the mainstays of this genre, alongside the newly successful Astro Bot.

PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst emphasized Astro Bot's significance, praising its impact and celebrating its achievement as a testament to PlayStation's capabilities. He also highlighted the importance of leveraging PlayStation's extensive IP portfolio, including exploring opportunities to revive legacy IPs.

Hints of a Revival: The appearance of Ape Escape monkeys in the Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater trailer, and the strong performance of Sly Cooper on PlayStation Plus' Classics Catalog, suggest a potential return for these beloved franchises.

New Astro Bot Content: A free update for Astro Bot, launching February 13, 2025, will introduce five challenging new levels in the Vicious Void Galaxy, each featuring a new Special Bot to rescue and a Time Attack mode. PS5 Pro users will also enjoy a boosted 60fps experience.

The release schedule for the new levels is as follows:

• 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 updates will be released every Thursday at 6:00 AM PT, 2:00 PM GMT, and 10:00 PM JST. Astro Bot is available exclusively on PlayStation 5.