With the PlayStation 5 available for almost nine months now, the list of standout titles for the platform is slowly growing longer and longer, especially with major exclusives such asRatchet & Clank: Rift ApartandReturnal, and major third-party titles likeResident Evil: Village. One unexpected title that has still managed to win fans' hearts over isAstro’s Playroom, the game that came installed with every PlayStation 5 console at launch. With the success ofAstro’s Playroom, developer Team Asobi has opened its new studio, revealing that its next game will be its most ambitious project yet.
Astro’s Playroom’s roots run all the way back to the PlayStation 4’s launch, with the system launching in 2013 with a built-in application known asThe Playroom, also developed by Team Asobi, which was initially a division of Sony’s Japan Studio.The Playroomwas made to demonstrate the PlayStation Camera and DualShock 4. The robots featured inThe Playroomwent on to inspire Astro Bot, the character who made his debut in the 2018 PlayStation VR titleAstro Bot: Rescue Mission. The success of this title went on to inspireAstro’s Playroom, which demonstrated the PS5’s features in4 unique levels referencing the history of PlayStation.
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Shortly afterAstro’s Playroomreleased in 2020 it was revealed that Team Asobi’s parent, Japan Studio,would be restructured around its subsidiaryas it begun development of its next game. Team Asobi also confirmed that Astro would return in a PlayStation Blog post shortly after the game’s release. Now, an official website dedicated to Team Asobi has launched highlighting the titles it has developed while also advertising jobs currently available at the Tokyo studio. The studio has described its current project as its “most ambitious game yet!” Team Asobi and Polyphony Digital, the studio behind theGran Turismoseries, are the only two Japanese studios that are part of PlayStation Studios.
It’s unclear whether Team Asobi’s next title will return the VR style ofAstro Bot: Rescue Missionor stick toAstro’s Playroom’s open 3D platforming style. With the next generation of PlayStation VR slated to release next year, it’s entirely possible that the studio could be hard at work at the first major game intended to demonstrate the hardware’s power just as it did with the original PSVR and PS5 before it. We could see the title teased at Sony’s next games showcase, which is rumored to take place later this month, however it may be too early asAstro’s Playroomonly released almost nine months ago.
Astro’s Playroomis available now exclusively for PlayStation 5.
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