Astro Bot features lots of Japan Studio references, from the special levels to various VIP bots. As such, this game is a celebration of sorts, not just of PlayStation, but also of Japan Studio. After all, the studio may no longer be here, but its legacy lives on in Team Asobi given that it was formerly a team within it.
So, this is one of the things I asked Nicolas Doucet, the director of Astro Bot during a media interview session at Tokyo Game Show 2024. To be exact, I asked him if they made the game as a tribute to Japan Studio’s legacy in a way.
In response, Doucet said that while their key focus of course is to make a great game from the player’s perspective (when it comes to what levels and bots to add), the developers over at Team Asobi definitely had Japan Studio – and PlayStation’s history in Japan in mind.
“You have to look at it from a fair point of view or a player’s point of view – should this game be in or not, and not to be too biased by anything for any reason,” said Doucet. “Having said that, we represent Japan, right? We want to be that team in Japan – PlayStation in Japan has a [storied] history and we want to be the guardians of the flame.”
Astro Bot director Nicolas Doucet at Tokyo Game Show 2024.
In many ways, the game carries the spirit of Japan Studio’s heritage given how creative the mechanics and levels in Astro Bot are, not to mention the sense of joy it brings. But gameplay isn’t the only way Astro Bot and Team Asobi are carrying the torch. That’s because the developers themselves have a strong emotional connection given that many staff members at Team Asobi have worked on various Japan Studio teams.
Doucet explained:
“Inside the team, we have people from the Gravity Daze (Gravity Rush) team. We have people from Trico (The Last Guardian). We have people from Ape Escape. And it’s not because these people are here that we have to please them, but we know that because they’re here and because they’re good people, they will do justice to those games.”
“But always, we have to look at it from the eyes of the player. Does this game really mean something? And I think the [Japan Studio games], they mean a lot. Including Locoroco, Patapon, and others. For as long as these games are meaningful to enough people, they should be in the game, right? That was like the rule. Of course, us being emotionally connected to Japan Studio, it was something that was even more meaningful to us to do.”
Enhancing this emotional connection to the game is the fact that Astro Bot is a sort of full-circle moment for some of its characters. One example of this is the game’s animation director who also served as an animator in The Last Guardian.
“The person who animated the boy in The Last Guardian is our animation director today,” mentioned Doucet. “So, it was interesting for him who animated the boy, to actually animate and direct the team animating [Astro Bot]. It’s interesting to see two different styles, but the same sort of soul has to go into the characters.”
Given that Team Asobi is carrying the torch for Japan Studio in many ways, there’s no doubt that players wish to see more new creative works from the team. Even though it’s still a shame that Japan Studio is no longer around, the Astro Bot studio’s future work is no doubt exciting to watch out for.
Aside from Team Asobi though, the hope here is that Astro Bot’s success inspires more PlayStation Studios to create similar titles, whether it’s by looking back at PlayStation’s rich IP or by making titles with creative new premises.
Astro Bot is available now exclusively on the PS5.