Sony is rumored to be gearing up to announce a new Astro Bot game for PlayStation 5 soon.
The details come from Dealabs and reliable leaker Billbil-kun, which say that developer Team Asobi will apparently reveal the next entry in its cutesy robot platformer series sometime in the next 15 days. Part of the unannounced title is said to take place in a desert area with a new character described as a “fennec fox in the form of a robot” that shares some similarities with Astro. IGN understands the rumor to be accurate.
The Dealabs report adds that the title may simply be named Astro Bot and expects it to be released exclusively for PS5 and not PSVR 2. Asobi's next game has been rumored for some time, as in 2021, the studio published a job posting that teased its “most ambitious game yet.” The studio later doubled down on this, saying that its next project will be its “biggest to date.” Asobi cemented itself as a PlayStation studio in 2021.
With Summer Game Fest set to kick off in the next few weeks, it’s no surprise to hear that PlayStation has some announcements in the cards. A PlayStation showcase of some kind has been rumored for weeks as well, with many believing that Sony will announce a summer presentation sooner rather than later. However, it’s probably best to keep expectations tempered until a PlayStation event is officially revealed.
Astro Bot has appeared only a handful of times in the last decade and is usually used to highlight PlayStation hardware features. Astro Bot Rescue Mission, a game we gave a 9/10, wowed PSVR users upon its release in 2018. Then, with the launch of the PS5 in 2020, users were treated to Astro’s Playroom, a platformer that dived into PlayStation history while putting a spotlight on the DualSense controller’s features. We gave it an 8/10 in our review, saying, “Astro's Playroom is a great showcase for the varied, impressive ways the DualSense can immerse you in next-gen games.”
It's hard to say exactly how the next Astro game will build upon Asobi’s previous work, but the team seems to at least be confident in what it’s been working on for the last few years. For more, you can check out our list of the 25 best PS5 games.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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