Key Takeaways
- The description of Astro Bot’s platinum trophy hints at a sequel for the 3D platformer.
- While not the best indicator for a sequel, the platinum trophy description for Team Asobi’s last game, Astro’s Playroom, also teased Astro Bot.
- Astro Bot’s success could lead to PlayStation further investing in smaller games.
The trophies for the upcoming PlayStation first-party title Astro Bot seemingly tease a sequel for the 3D platformer. Even though Astro Bot is less than a week out from its launch on September 6, it appears developer Team Asobi may already have future plans lined up for where the cheerful robot will show up next.
As the biggest, most ambitious entry in the series so far, there is a lot of anticipation surrounding Astro Bot. For many PlayStation fans, it’s a callback to the quirky and lighthearted games from Sony’s now-defunct Japan Studio, as opposed to the more grounded and serious action-adventure titles the company has gained a reputation for in recent years. The Japan Studio DNA in Astro Bot doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering Team Asobi was a part of the organization before it was majorly scaled down in 2021. Team Asobi recently confirmed that its 65 developers took roughly three years to complete Astro Bot.
That’s a far cry compared to the eight-year development cycle of Concord, another recent PlayStation first-party release. Shorter development cycles also mean smaller budgets, so Sony will likely assess Astro Bot‘s commercial performance to determine whether it should pursue more projects of a similar scale. However, it appears Team Asobi may have already been given the green light to work on an Astro Bot sequel. This is supposedly teased in the newly-surfaced trophy list for Astro Bot, where the platinum trophy’s description congratulates players for finishing the game and concludes with “see you in Astro’s next adventure!”
The Platinum Trophy for Astro’s Playroom Similarly Teased Astro Bot
This isn’t definitive proof of an Astro Bot sequel being in the works, as Team Asobi could just be using the words “next adventure” in an ambiguous context. However, it’s worth noting that the platinum trophy for the studio’s previous game, Astro’s Playroom, also includes identical verbiage in its description. Therefore, there is some precedence to believe that Team Asobi might have secured approval from Sony to start planning out the next Astro Bot game. Interestingly, this could end up being a preinstalled tech demo on Sony’s next-generation PS6 console, much like Astro’s Playroom on the PS5.
It’s too early to predict future plans for Astro Bot right now, but if the current level of excitement surrounding the 3D platformer translates to impressive sales numbers, Sony may want to go through with more smaller-scale games like it. Astro could even end up being a PlayStation mascot on the same level as Kratos or Aloy, but again, it’ll likely hinge on the success of Astro Bot.
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