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 has spurred PlayStation to further invest in the family-friendly genre.

During Sony's Q3 Earnings Announcement on February 13, 2025, President, CEO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki highlighted Astro Bot's four Game Awards 2024 wins, including Game of the Year and Best Family Game. He also celebrated the success of Helldivers 2, winner of Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game. Totoki emphasized that these wins in target genres, including family-friendly and live service titles, represent significant progress in broadening PlayStation's game portfolio.

PlayStation's Family-Friendly History

PlayStation boasts a rich history of family-friendly titles, many of which haven't seen new installments in over a decade. As noted by The Gamer, franchises like Sly Cooper, Ape Escape, and Jak and Daxter are ripe for revival. The departure of classic IPs like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon to Xbox leaves Ratchet & Clank and LittleBigPlanet as PlayStation's primary recent family-focused franchises, alongside the breakout success of Astro Bot.

In a December 2024 interview with Famitsu, PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst underscored Astro Bot's importance to Sony, calling it "very, very important to PlayStation" and praising the small team's achievement in creating such a significant and celebratory title.

The Potential Return of Legacy IPs

Astro Bot's success, featuring appearances from several dormant PlayStation IPs, highlights the potential for a resurgence of beloved franchises. Hulst previously emphasized the value of PlayStation's extensive IP portfolio, stating that they continually explore opportunities to leverage legacy IPs and develop new franchises.

The recent Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater trailer showcased the return of Ape Escape monkeys, a nod to the original Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater's mini-game. The success of Sly Cooper on PlayStation Plus' Classics Catalog, achieving high ratings on the PlayStation Store, further supports the potential for revisiting these classic titles. While no official announcements have been made, this points to a possible future focus on reviving family-friendly games from PlayStation's back catalog.

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. In a February 13, 2025 PlayStation.Blog post, Team Asobi Studio Director Nicolas Doucet announced exciting new content.

Five new levels, including the level from the PlayStation XP Tournament Final in London, will be added to the brand-new Vicious Void Galaxy. The release schedule 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

All updates will be released every Thursday at 6:00 AM PT, 2:00 PM GMT, and 10:00 PM JST.

Doucet noted that, unlike the Winter Wonder update, these levels will be more challenging, testing players' jumping skills. Each level introduces a new Special Bot to rescue, and completed levels can be replayed in Time Attack mode with online rankings. Furthermore, PS5 Pro players can now experience the game at 60fps.

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