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[nial]

Interview to Nicolas Doucet, head of Team Asobi, the little development unit at Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. in Tokyo. Courtesy of Kotaku Australia (yes, I know) which, after 2 weeks of publishing, didn't seem to reach a lot to the larger internet gaming circles.
And I personally find this one interesting since it directly addresses one of the main criticism of PlayStation since around 2022 or so, plus it also quite lines up with something Hermen Hulst said in the past about focusing more on family oriented content down the road (LEGO Horizon Adventures, anyone?).

Making A Game Like Astro Bot Is A Huge Risk. Asobi Is Doing It Anyway​

After the reveal of Astro Bot at PlayStation’s most recent State of Play, and after getting my hands on it for a preview, there was one major question bouncing around in my head: Why make this game now?

Astro Bot is the antithesis of the kind of game that AAA publishers are looking for in 2024. Publishers don’t just want surefire hits; they want hits that keep paying out long-term. They want live service treadmills designed to keep players spending. Astro Bot is the polar opposite: it’s an offline, single-player, all-ages character platformer with no internal monetisation. Though it may seem like an example of what video games should be, it’s hard to overstate what a risk Astro Bot is in 2024. The bar for what is considered a modern success has changed so dramatically that it’s hard not to feel like Team Asobi is taking a huge gamble.

In a group interview with Team Asobi founder and president Nicolas Doucet last week, I put the question to him. Given that making a game like Astro Bot is now a riskier business proposition than ever, why make a game like this now? Doucet feels the rush to serve older players has left a serious gap in the market for all-ages titles.

“I think Team Asobi has always looked for making games in spaces that were vacant, and that’s been true from the very beginning,” Doucet tells me. “Even VR, we made a platform game (Astro Bot: Rescue Mission) at a time when the whole world was saying VR should be first-person.” He smiles at the memory. “‘Yes! Great! Let’s try third person.’ So, I think there’s also a part of that because, as a result of what you mentioned, every other space is being crowded. And actually, what we realised is, inside the PlayStation portfolio, the All Ages category was not really being occupied too much. In fact, not much at all.”

He’s right. In the last four years, just six first-party PS5 games have been all-ages titles, and four of these were sports games. One of them was Asobi’s own Astro’s Playroom. Another was Sackboy: A Big Adventure (developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment). The remaining four were Gran Turismo 7 and MLB: The Show 22-24 (all-ages, but also ultra-niche). Astro Bot and the recently announced Lego Horizon Adventures, codeveloped by Guerilla and Studio Gobo, take the total to eight.

“… some gamers who grew up with
PlayStation have kids today, and if you want to play something on PlayStation [with your kids], the selection is quite limited. And so we felt that this was an opportunity to reclaim a spot that we used to have. I think in the PS2 era, [the PlayStation portfolio] used to be going from Jak and Daxter all the way to God of War [that is, All Ages to Adult]. This is something that PlayStation HAS been, and I think SHOULD be, and this is why we are pushing into the space.”

He is keen to underline that it really is for All Ages and, therefore, everyone. “By the way, it’s not just a kids’ game. If you’ve noticed, it’s also a gamer’s game. But this other audience, this one that’s more mainstream and family-oriented, is one we really want to address with this game.”

Astro Bot launches exclusively for PlayStation 5 on September 6th.

Making A Game Like Astro Bot Is A Huge Risk. Asobi Is Doing It Anyway

Team Asobi, the studio behind the upcoming Astro Bot, knows its little game is a huge gamble in 2024, but is ploughing ahead anyway.

www.kotaku.com.au

or if you don't really want to support Kotaku

Making A Game Like Astro Bot Is A Huge Risk. Asobi Is Doing It Anyway

Team Asobi, the studio behind the upcoming Astro Bot, knows its little game is a huge gamble in 2024, but is ploughing ahead anyway.

web.archive.org

 

[Killjoy-NL]

He's not wrong. Not interested in AstroBot, but Sony is lacking in that department.

 

[GHound]

All ages is fine, making all ages games is fine, making adult games is fine.
There are a lot of things going on that aren't fine, green lighting Astro Bot was not one of them.

 

[onQ123]

I think Sony will also try to fill the void left by Nintendo no longer making a dedicated home console with the PS5

DualSense & Astro Bot seem like a pitch to the devs & studios to make unique games that take advantage of the DualSense controller.

www.neogaf.com

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

let see how Astro sales. a game like this made by Nintendo would sales like 10+M, right?

 

[Mr Branding]

I get what he’s saying but let’s not pretend Nintendo doesn’t exist.

 

[Represent.]

Making a game for all ages... is a risk?

Its like the number 1 way to guarantee a hit kids will be addicted to forever lmao

 

[Kataploom]

let see how Astro sales. a game like this made by Nintendo would sales like 10+M, right?

Imo, depending on the game, I could see it going from 2.5M to 8M or so, then if the game is one of those outliers it would sell around 15M or so, but there's a hell of an audience for platformers on Nintendo

 

[bitbydeath]

He's not wrong. Not interested in AstroBot, but Sony is lacking in that department.

I think I’m more interested in how they utilise the controller than the actual gameplay / game design itself.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

I get what he’s saying but let’s not pretend Nintendo doesn’t exist.

With Xbox out, Playstation and Nintendo will br more competitive to eachother.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

I think I’m more interested in how they utilise the controller than the actual gameplay / game design itself.

Fair point. Astro's Playroom did an amazing job for showing of the DualSense.

 

[Toons]

Hes not wrong.

 

[ZehDon]

It's be hard to have your brand mean all things to all people. Astro Bot looks absolutely solid, but it won't do Mario numbers simply because Nintendo built their entire brand as "all ages" whereas PlayStation has been chasing that "prestige TV" demographic since the end of the PS3 generation. In that context, Astro Bot is a side project and will likely perform like one. Fingers crossed that's enough.

 

[FoxMcChief]

let see how Astro sales. a game like this made by Nintendo would sales like 10+M, right?

Not really. That’s only if you equate Astrobot is as popular as Mario. That is simply not the case. This is the first non VR title that the “series” has sold. I don’t think any of Nintendo’s new IP’s are selling 10+ million.

That said, I hope this one does sell 10+ million. It’s one of the few games that looks worth the price of admission this year.

 

[Quantum253]

let see how Astro sales. a game like this made by Nintendo would sales like 10+M, right?

Knack was middle of the road score wise and did about 1.9M lifetime sales knack 2 scored better, but only did around 500k lifetime sales. That's a pretty sharp drop and probably why we'll never get a 3. However, I think Astro has a wider appeal and the preorders have been pretty solid to hit decent sales numbers. And i after if it was made by Nintendo, it would triple the sell through rate.

 

[Robb]

Publishers don’t just want surefire hits; they want hits that keep paying out long-term. They want live service treadmills designed to keep players spending. Astro Bot is the polar opposite.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Know what's ironic?

For all the shit Hulst receives, Astro Bot was greenlit under his leadership.

 

[nial]

I get what he’s saying but let’s not pretend Nintendo doesn’t exist.

Are you talking about the Kotaku editor? You're not wrong, but the consensus is pretty much OUTSIDE OF Nintendo, which built its entire image on family games.

Making a game for all ages... is a risk?

Its like the number 1 way to guarantee a hit kids will be addicted to forever lmao

Yeah, you need to read the article.

They want live service treadmills designed to keep players spending. Astro Bot is the polar opposite: it’s an offline, single-player, all-ages character platformer with no internal monetisation.

Roblox, this is not.

let see how Astro sales. a game like this made by Nintendo would sales like 10+M, right?

It won't, and doesn't need to, but anything around the 4-6M range would be more than excellent, and better than literally any other SIEJ-developed game that is not Gran Turismo 1.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart sold 4M units in only 2 years, so it's not impossible. And without any heavy discounts.

It's be hard to have your brand mean all things to all people. Astro Bot looks absolutely solid, but it won't do Mario numbers simply because Nintendo built their entire brand as "all ages" whereas PlayStation has been chasing that "prestige TV" demographic since the end of the PS3 generation. In that context, Astro Bot is a side project and will likely perform like one. Fingers crossed that's enough.

I would say it's more than just that, SIE ganes weren't generally big global sellers outside of Gran Turismo before the PS3-PS4 gens, with Crash Bandicoot being the one exception, so you could say the shift started right around the PS2 gen when SIE stopped producing the Crash games.

Know what's ironic?

For all the shit Hulst receives, Astro Bot was greenlit under his leadership.

Hulst will receive shit for anything at this point, not to say that all he's done is gold, but it's funny how people simply resort to Concord just to say that he needs to he fired or something like that.

 

[Robb]

I don’t think any of Nintendo’s new IP’s are selling 10+ million.

Ring Fit is at 15M+ I think.

Know what's ironic?

For all the shit Hulst receives, Astro Bot was greenlit under his leadership.

A happy accident maybe. He’s only human.

 

[VeganElduderino]

the only ps5 game exclusive I'm actually excited about

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Making a game for all ages... is a risk?

Its like the number 1 way to guarantee a hit kids will be addicted to forever lmao

Kids play Minecraft and Fortnite. They ain't interested in Astrobot. Will be lucky to sell 2 million copies.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

A happy accident maybe. He’s only human.

Sony seems to be having a lot of happy accidents.

 

[Robb]

Sony seems to be having a lot of happy accidents.

Depends on what games you enjoy I suppose. Most of what they put out definitely seems successful though.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Depends on what games you enjoy I suppose. Most of what they put out definitely seems successful though.

True, although I don't like most of their games.

In any case, it seem Sony is going back to covering more bases than just the 3rd person walking simulators, like they used to pre-PS4.
And Hulst has been a big part of that.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[DenchDeckard]

I hope it sells north of 5 million. They deserve it and so does the industry.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I hope it sells north of 5 million. They deserve it and so does the industry.

Agreed, I think their games are gems, really high quality and fun experiences. Definitely good purchase !

 

[DenchDeckard]

Agreed, I think their games are gems, really high quality and fun experiences. Definitely good purchase !

I love astro bot. Amazing vr game and an absolute gem of a ps5 pack in for those of us who have been around since the ps1 and invested in all the tech etc.

I get warm fuzzy feelings when I look at all the old kit I've owned over the years.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I love astro bot. Amazing vr game and an absolute gem of a ps5 pack in for those of us who have been around since the ps1 and invested in all the tech etc.

I get warm fuzzy feelings when I look at all the old kit I've owned over the years.

 

[Sintoid]

 

[Toots]

Making A Game Like Astro Bot Is A Huge Risk. Asobi Is Doing It Anyway​

All this talk of how making a game is taking a huge risk (This Doucet guy, oh by the way doucet could be translated as "softy", as usual the jokes write themselves), plus it's very hard (the lame star wars outlaws dev in an earlier thread), etc. reminds me of the infamous Tom "being a comic is the same as being a fireman running into a burning building" Myers quote.


As an aside, i had much fun with Astro bot and i hope Asobi manage to make a tremendous game, without breaking too many nails

 

[Danjin44]

Just because it’s risk that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t make one, devs like Vanillaware always taking risks with each game they make and that’s why I admire them.

Also Sony need understand not every game needs to be crazy high budget, I rather see smaller but more unique games from them like they used to back in PS2/PS3 era.

 

[Astray]

All this talk of how making a game is taking a huge risk (This Doucet guy, oh by the way doucet could be translated as "softy", as usual the jokes write themselves), plus it's very hard (the lame star wars outlaws dev in an earlier thread), etc. reminds me of the infamous Tom "being a comic is the same as being a fireman running into a burning building" Myers quote.


As an aside, i had much fun with Astro bot and i hope Asobi manage to make a tremendous game, without breaking too many nails

It's a risk because for more than a decade, Sony's 1st party output has been more about HBO-style entertainment that targets grown-ups. There's a chance that their existing audience at large won't buy the game because it would be perceived as too kiddy.

Also this might not be an ultra mega AAA offering, but it's still AAA, with a budget that's at least measured in tens of millions. So it's a financial risk too.

 

[Toots]

It's a risk because for more than a decade, Sony's 1st party output has been more about HBO-style entertainment that targets grown-ups. There's a chance that their existing audience at large won't buy the game because it would be perceived as too kiddy.

Also this might not be an ultra mega AAA offering, but it's still AAA, with a budget that's at least measured in tens of millions. So it's a financial risk too.

I know it's a risk to the investor wallets, and we should forever pray those business gods who find in their heart of heart the courage to maybe loose a bit of their wealth by taking the "not as safe as design by committee but still quite safe bet" for once in their leeches lives, still i just find it so lame.

 

[nial]

A huge risk is making something like Zelda TOTK, Dragon's Dogma, Mario Odyssey, Pikmin, etc.

You could have chosen much better examples of risk by design (which is not what the article is talking about in the firat place) than those Nintendo games (Super Mario Odyssey?) and, of fucking course, Dragon's Dogma..

True, although I don't like most of their games.

In any case, it seem Sony is going back to covering more bases than just the 3rd person walking simulators, like they used to pre-PS4.
And Hulst has been a big part of that.

Just because it’s risk that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t make one, devs like Vanillaware always taking risks with each game they make and that’s why I admire them.

Also Sony need understand not every game needs to be crazy high budget, I rather see smaller but more unique games from them like they used to back in PS2/PS3 era.

PS4 had ton of smaller games from different genres, though? Otherwise they would have only published, like, 16 games across the entire generation.

It's a risk because for more than a decade, Sony's 1st party output has been more about HBO-style entertainment that targets grown-ups. There's a chance that their existing audience at large won't buy the game because it would be perceived as too kiddy.

Also this might not be an ultra mega AAA offering, but it's still AAA, with a budget that's at least measured in tens of millions. So it's a financial risk too.

The article is more about the general audience outside of Nintendo consoles, rather than the PlayStation one. As I already said, looking at Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart's (pretty good) sales numbers, it will do fine and more likely even better.

 

[yazenov]

Didn't they shut down Kotaku Australia just recently?

 

[The Cockatrice]

no thanks. u can make all ages games and adults only games. we dont need all games to be all ages. thats fucking retarded.

 

[lh032]

A huge risk, lol.
They frame it as if they're breaking some new ground or something.

A huge risk is making something like Zelda TOTK, Dragon's Dogma, Mario Odyssey, Pikmin, etc.

Making a barebones, safely designed platformer is not a huge risk.
Unless you're really bankrupt creatively.

smelly fart take here.

 

[nial]

no thanks. u can make all ages games and adults only games. we dont need all games to be all ages. thats fucking retarded.

He literally says that both are important.

I think in the PS2 era, [the PlayStation portfolio] used to be going from Jak and Daxter all the way to God of War [that is, All Ages to Adult]. This is something that PlayStation HAS been, and I think SHOULD be, and this is why we are pushing into the space.

 

[The Cockatrice]

He literally says that both are important.

So whats the story then? Did something change? We're still getting both.

 

[ultrazilla]

Will probably be a "Game of the Year" contender for me. This looks so good.

 

[ManaByte]

Astro Bot is GOTY

 

[Ozriel]

Astro Bot is the antithesis of the kind of game that AAA publishers are looking for in 2024. Publishers don’t just want surefire hits; they want hits that keep paying out long-term. They want live service treadmills designed to keep players spending. Astro Bot is the polar opposite: it’s an offline, single-player, all-ages character platformer with no internal monetisation.

Why is the article going on about ‘publishers’ when Sony is the publisher of this title and has historically been keen to push for offline, single player games? It’s literally what they’re best at.

Though it may seem like an example of what video games should be, it’s hard to overstate what a risk Astro Bot is in 2024.

I don’t see the risk. It’ll be significantly cheaper to make than something like Rift Apart, and likely has a higher sales ceiling.

 

[Sethbacca]

I don't think you can look at what Nintendo is doing and has done forever now and ignore their success with an all ages approach. I wouldn't want all Sony content to go this route, but there should definitely be first parties in the space on the platform.

 

[Chuck Berry]

I keep forgetting this game exists let alone is coming out in less than two months. Christ I suck.

 

[yurinka]

Not really. That’s only if you equate Astrobot is as popular as Mario. That is simply not the case. This is the first non VR title that the “series” has sold. I don’t think any of Nintendo’s new IP’s are selling 10+ million.

That said, I hope this one does sell 10+ million. It’s one of the few games that looks worth the price of admission this year.

Well, if as Nintendo does we also count the bundled copies for the heavily bundled games (like NES SMB, GB Tetris, Wii Sports etc.), the previous Astro title (Astro's Playroom) sold 60M+ units.

I don't think you can look at what Nintendo is doing and has done forever now and ignore their success with an all ages approach. I wouldn't want all Sony content to go this route, but there should definitely be first parties in the space on the platform.

Well, nothing leads to think that all Sony content will go this route.

Out of what we know, only Astro Bot, Lego Horizon and a future Ratchet (plus maybe one of the Bungie unannounced projects) have the "all ages" approach, not the case of the other more than two dozen games that Sony has under development or recently released.

Sony obviously won't stop making their other more adult focused type of games to focus on "all ages" instead. They simply are growing the type of games they cover with 1st party, now also covering again the "all ages" stuff they already covered in the PS1-PS3 gens, on top of the traditional type of games they normally cover.

 

[FoxMcChief]

I keep forgetting this game exists let alone is coming out in less than two months. Christ I suck.

I keep trying to remind you.

 

[nial]

Why is the article going on about ‘publishers’ when Sony is the publisher of this title and has historically been keen to push for offline, single player games? It’s literally what they’re best at.

'All-ages character platformer' is the key part, though.

I don’t see the risk. It’ll be significantly cheaper to make than something like Rift Apart, and likely has a higher sales ceiling.

I actually agree somewhat with this, but needlessly to say that SIE is not always producing games like Rift Apart or Astro Bot.

So whats the story then? Did something change? We're still getting both.

The story is Doucet pushing for more of this kind of content at SIE, while XDEV collaborations can exist and will most likely be the stronger part of such initiative, Team Asobi and Media Molecule are just two studios compared to SMS, Sucker Punch, Naughty Dog, Bend and Guerrilla.

 

[Chuck Berry]

I keep trying to remind you.

Mods help

 

[Raven117]

They could just say they are trying to go after the Nintendo/Mario/family market a little bit.