When it comes to the gaming space, Nintendo is most certainly the flagbearer when it comes to family-friendly experiences. While it may not always have the biggest or latest titles that push the boundaries of the industry, it makes up with pure quality and wholesome fun most of the time. Now, it seems like Sony PlayStation is putting more emphasis on this market, all thanks to the breakout success of Astro Bot.
Nabbing the prestigious Game of the Year award at The Game Awards last year definitely helps, and both the critical and audience reception to the game have been very positive. Even former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé recognised its achievement. It paints a positive picture of a potential portion of the market that PlayStation can look to to expand its gaming portfolio.
And as reported by VGC, at the company’s latest financial report, Sony president Hiroki Totoki revealed that the plans to do so are in motion. Family-oriented games will be in the pipeline for PlayStation, largely driven by the success of Astro Bot.
Of course, Sony is not only focusing on family games, with the company having not abandoned its ambition to create successful live-service games either. Totoki mentioned that the success of Helldivers 2 at the same awards event has further encouraged Sony to expand its portfolio of such games in the future.
Team Asobi, the game’s developer, continues to actively support Astro Bot with additional free updates, delivering new levels and challenges that have been warmly welcomed by players. The next five weeks will see five completely new and free levels arrive as well, starting with Tick-Tock Shock on February 13. This will be followed by Thrust or Bust, Cock-A-Doodle-Doom, Hard to Bear, and then Armored Hardcore, all with their own Special Bot. A Time Attack mode with online rankings will also be added for those who want to show off their skills.
Recent sales data revelaed that over 1.5 million copies were sold within the first nine weeks of Astro Bot‘s release, reaching both newcomers and veterans of the PlayStation ecosystem.
