Astro Bot Should Be The Future Of PlayStation, But For Some Reason Sony Isn’t Interested

Astro Bot’s unparalleled success should speak for itself. It was a critical and commercial hit for Sony and Team Asobi, scooping up countless Game of the Year awards while it amassed a passionate community of players who view it as one of the best platformers ever made.

It represents what PlayStation used to be: a platform that wasn’t afraid to strike a balance in its exclusive library, jumping from silly to serious at the drop of a hat and being a far greater place to play video games as a consequence. During its first three console generations, this willingness to give big and small teams alike the freedom to create experiences you couldn’t find anywhere else allowed the medium to grow and evolve in unprecedented ways.

Now, games like Astro Bot and similar, smaller efforts are perceived as exceptions to the norm or distractions from a wider corporate mission, all about making profits from live-service titles and prestige blockbusters; the ones that cost so much and take so long to make that by the time they finally arrive, the world has moved on.

Sony Isn’t Going To Learn From Its Live-Service Mistakes

Speaking during a recent investor-focused interview (via IGN), Hermen Hulst, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Studio Business Group, reflected on the mistakes made by the ill-fated Concord and how the company has no intention of repeating them.

“Live-service, we really see that as a great opportunity for us,” Hulst said. “But with this great opportunity are some unique challenges associated. We talked about some early success as with Helldivers 2. We’ve also faced some challenges, as with the release of Concord.”

In the interview, Hulst touches on the immense work that went into getting Concord out the door, but this wasn’t enough to differentiate it within an already crowded market. Upon its reveal, the writing was on the wall as players decried the presence of yet another live service shooter, no matter how good the game might turn out to be. Sony wasn’t releasing this game because it wanted to make a piece of art, but a consistent product destined to earn profits for years to come.

It sure feels like Sony has acknowledged all the ways that Concord went wrong, but it’s willing to make those same mistakes again if there is even a tiny chance of success.

He goes on to talk about Marathon, and how, despite a constant stream of PR disasters and a vocal contingent of hardcore Bungie fans turning against it, Hulst believes it is capable of the success experienced by the studio’s past titles. Speaking to investors means executives are going to frame things in the most positive light possible, but the language on display is so dry and corporate that it turns my stomach:

“This cycle of test, of iterate, test again, that is such a key component of the live-service success, both leading up to launch but also throughout the life of the game. And we’re committed to continuing to leverage our learnings, to maximise engagement and player satisfaction throughout the lifecycle of the title.”

Sony doesn’t care about creating games that have a substantial cultural impact or act as bastions of the medium like it used to, but creating live-service experiences made with life cycles always intended to have a beginning, middle, and end. Once the profits are no longer lucrative enough, it moves on and tries again. I’d never once discount how great the developers are who bring these games to life, but it sucks they are always in pursuit of money that lines the pockets of a company who would cast them aside without hesitation.

And I’m Not Interested In A Future Where It Doesn’t Embrace Games Like Astro Bot

Marathon has now been indefinitely delayed, and it will likely need a miracle to both attract and sustain a large enough audience for both the title and the studio to stay afloat. Reports are already pointing to internal strife and concerns that mediocre leadership has stifled production at every opportunity, leading to a product that isn’t ready for launch. But it wouldn’t need a miracle if the intentions weren’t so flawed from the start. You can’t create something that millions want to play and stick with if the objective is profits alone. Marathon doesn’t need to be an extraction shooter, nor does it require a mandatory life cycle where its death is preordained years in advance.

But even if Marathon fails, and even if Bungie ends up being closed to make up for millions sunk into its development, Sony is going to keep on chasing the live-service dragon. When games like Fortnite, Roblox, and myriad others continue to make money hand over fist, investors are going to want a slice of that pie no matter how it’s achieved. They don’t really care about the artistic value of games like Astro Bot, or affording smaller titles like Gravity Rush or Concrete Genie chances of success when resources could be poured into poorly judged gambles at winning the lottery.

Astro Bot is starting to feel more and more like a fluke, and Sony was willing to soak up all of its positive publicity and millions of sales if it meant having another shot at the impossible.

The most recent State of Play – while relatively devoid of first-party exclusives – seemed like a positive changing of the tide. It was filled with incredible titles coming in the next couple of years, most of which were single-player, experimental, and filled with the unorthodox spirit I have long associated with PlayStation.

astro in a new astro bot speddrunning level. — via PlayStation

An excess of titles from Japanese studios definitely helped leave such an impression too, as Sony was suddenly giving a voice to genres and territories it had been neglecting.

It felt like a return to form, but when an investor interview like this follows in its footsteps, it’s abundantly clear that Astro Bot isn’t and never will be PlayStation’s priority. You’d think a game that dominated the industry would force the suits to take notice, but I guess I was a fool for expecting big corporations to ever think logically. Astro Bot and PlayStation’s huge legacy deserve better than a future bound to be defined by live-service failures.