Japan Studio may have been dissolved, but that's not to say PlayStation's completely left its home country. Amid the restructure, Tokyo-based Team Asobi has become one of Sony's youngest developers, and it's already won the hearts of fans with the Astro Bot games. The studio behind Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Astro's Playroom — both of which are excellent — it's just launched a brand new website, with a few neat things to note.
Firstly, it's made abundantly clear that the studio is focused on family friendly experiences. "We create top-quality games for players of all ages on PlayStation," the site reads, which means we shouldn't expect the team to suddenly delve into mature titles. It sounds like Astro will be sticking around — or, at least, we'll be getting more light-hearted action platformers in the future, which is fine by us.
Speaking of future projects, the description goes on to state Team Asobi is currently "hard at work on our most ambitious game yet". Given the exceedingly positive reception to PS5 pack-in game Astro's Playroom, it looks as though Sony has green-lit a follow-up with a larger scope. Whether it reverts back to virtual reality when the new PSVR unit emerges or sticks with a flat-screen experience, we'll have to wait and see — hey, maybe it'll be playable both ways? Whatever the case, we're excited.
The team is also seriously staffing up, with lots of jobs across various fields on offer. Again, it's clear the studio is a much larger entity within PlayStation Studios now, and it's growing to meet the needs of its "most ambitious" game.
The future is looking bright for Team Asobi, then. Are you excited for what it comes up with next? What would you like to see from the studio? Tell us in the comments section below.
[source teamasobi.com, via twitter.com]
Comments 42
Please be a PS VR 2 title! Or both!
Still sad Japan Studios got shutdown for this.
Sounds great. I've also thought they'd function best at family friendly games to provide variety. They proved themselves already with the AstroBot games.
They could work on platformers in general, a Kart clone, maybe a smash clone or just another banger of AstroBot.
Can’t wait to find out more. Astro’s Playroom is still one of the best games on PS5.
@lolwhatno Save lots of money for a PS VR 2 then.
@lolwhatno I got my PSVR for €180 (came with VR Worlds). I got Astro Bot and a bunch of other VR games on sale for 10 each (mere months after Astro Bot came out). 4 VR games for €10 each is €40, with the system itself it's €220 total. That's €55 on average per game, and the VR system itself can be considered free. It's less than four brand new AAA games. And I got VR Worlds and a bunch of other stuff for free as well. It's not that bad if you look at it this way. And the more games you buy, the less the cost per game will be.
Excellent. I have a feeling great things are in store for this team.
Hope for a non-VR game, would be an instant buy for me
Well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I am all all happy for them that they are becoming a big part of the PlayStation family
I really hope it’s a sequel to Rescue Mission. Easily one of last gens greatest games.
Brilliant hopefully another astro game, loved the free one on ps5 and the vr game, really well made games.
I hope it's not restricted to vr so more people can play it. They should at least be considering a non vr version.
Sounds like the future for AstroBot is looking bright, then again it could also be a new Ape Escape game, either way after what they were able to achieve with Astro's Playroom, I'm all in whatever they have in store for us. If it is a bigger & better AstroBot game, I hope they go the extra mile with the PlayStation references, maybe even incorporate AstroBotified worlds of PlayStation games, like Haven City from Jak & Daxter, Yharnam from Bloodborne, Empire City from Infamous, Paris from Sly Cooper, Gallowmere from MediEvil, Craftworld from LittleBigPlanet etc. Just go all out with the concept.
Astro’s playroom is the best reason to own a PS5. Reminds me of Nintendo magic of old but made by Sony
Please let it be a full single player astro game 😃
Just here for the obligatory "I'll gladly pay $70 for a full-blown non-VR Astro platformer" comment.
I really wanna see a big-budget 3d platformer Astro game, similar to something like Rift Apart or Mario Odyssey in terms of size and scale.
Hope for the non-VR route. Loved Astro’s Playroom, but don’t love VR. VR makes me physically nauseous and messes with my eye, which had a previous injury. Would love every minute of a full blown Astro adventure like Playroom though. Pound for pound, Playroom is so good that I’d argue it’s as good as Rift Apart.
Just make a full Astro Game like Playroom and I’m happy
Surely this means for PSVR2. If not I’ll be incredibly sad.
Awesome! Can't wait to see what they come up with!
Great news!! Hopefully PSVR 2 or flat screen I don't care which:)
I have yet to play Rescue Mission (no PSVR) but loved Playroom. Excited for whatever it is. Love the little guy
Astro Bot is one of the sole reasons why I continue to try and find a PS5. Fingers crossed.
@Octane same here! Bought it for 120€ last week with everything almost unused... connected it with the Pulse 3D Headset on my PS5 and it is just WOW! Gran Turismo Sport is my favourite atm. Even if it is just timetrial mode I love it so much.
Absolutely am thrilled about this!
@somnambulance as much as I love rift apart, I’d argue it’s better (even thought Astro’s Playroom is quite short)
The PlayStation portfolio really could use more family-friendly games. It is a genre that creates beloved characters and enjoy great success among players. And it have been overlooked by Sony, imo. I think Team Asobi is on the right direction and can help fill that gap.
Out of the ballpark thinking on my part, but I wonder if they're staffing up to potentially have two teams to work on an adventure game and a VR game.
At least there's one studio left that feels like a real PlayStation studio...
@lolwhatno As a too-disabled-to-work adult, I'll second your sentiment
Astro is better than anything japan studio has done in 10 years, this studio will be amazing.
people assume its going to be an astro bot game , which it could be , but i can see them bringing back a series , or making a new ip. i think they'll still make astro games , but i can also see them expanding beyond that.
@Vertpin In some ways, I’d say Astro Bot is still the best game on PS5. There’s literally only positive things to say about the game
Sony have been trying to find their own "Sonic/Mario" for some years now, they've tried to make Sackboy the defacto PS mascot with little success, when I played Astro Bot Rescue Mission I really enjoyed it and saw Astro as capable of taking this mantle, maybe after the success of Astros Playroom Sony finally see it too...? I was never enamoured by the whole Sackboy/Little Big Planet series, it never appealed to me enough to make time for it so maybe I missed something, but after Rescue Mission, which I dabbled with when I got PSVR, and Playroom, which is unquestionably my favourite all-round PS5 game to date, Astro as a character has become quite endearing.
I wish Japan Studios didn't have to be erased to let Team Asobi come into existence...
However I did enjoy Astro's Playroom alot, so def looking forward to their next game.
I feel the same about wanting more fam friendly games on PS. Most times when I see what’s coming for PS or XB, nearly every big title is violent!!
Would love to see them build a larger platformer or something of the sort. Ratchet n Astro are my favorite PS5 experiences so far
@KidBoruto team asobi is the new japan studio
@twitchtvpat I meant I want actual Team Japan back for their more mature focused games.
Team Asobi has made it clear they will only be working on "family friendly" games...
@KidBoruto who knows what their future holds but there are plenty of other mature focused games for ps5. like i said people just assume they'll only be working on astro bot games. i'm sure they'll be making a lot more then that. look at where naughty dog, sucker punch , and insomniac came from , and they've made mature games eventually.
@twitchtvpat We should not have to wait that long though...I miss Gravity Rush and other games like it.
Don't get me wrong I did love Astro's Playroom and do enjoy family friendly games...just they didn't need to kill Team Japan to spawn Team Asobi.
@KidBoruto don't get me wrong , i'll miss team japan like every one else. but i have confidence in team asobi , and think they'll be able to make some pretty good games.
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