Astro Bot studio Team Asobi showcased the PlayStation 5's features and capabilities in the launch title, Astro's Playroom. The development team has its sights set on creating its biggest title yet while remaining faithful to PlayStation's roots in gaming, the Japanese market.
Team Asobi's Astro Bot was developed solely for play with PlayStation VR, Sony's VR headset for the PlayStation 4. Players would take control of Astro for the first time in a 3D platforming adventure game. Following the success of Astro Bot, Astro became a mascot-like figure for PlayStation, and the development of Astro's Playroom began for PS5. Astro's Playroom was created to highlight features of the PS5 DualSense controller such as haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and gyro aiming. Following the closure of Sony's Japan Studio in 2021, Team Asobi became its own company and began expanding under the PlayStation Studios umbrella.
Team Asobi creative and studio director Nicolas Doucet reveals the studio's next game is its biggest project yet according to an interview at GamesIndustry.biz. The studio has grown from roughly 35 employees in 2021 to more than 60 in 2022, and Doucet expects Team Asobi to expand to nearly 100 employees. Production for the new game is ongoing, and Doucet wants to have another research & development group explore potential new projects within Team Asobi. R&D efforts are important for Team Asobi as the studio considers new gameplay ideas to implement.
Japanese developers make up roughly 75% of Team Asobi, but the studio is expanding with talent from around the world. Doucet appreciates the uniqueness of Japanese game development and the emphasis on perfecting game controls. Team Asobi's next game remains faithful to Japanese game design and Doucet wants the game to feel like it's made in Japan. "We want to make sure that when people play our games that there is a feeling, and you can't quite put your finger on it, that it's made in Japan," Doucet said.
Team Asobi wants to succeed by staying true to its values in development and delivering a worthwhile gaming experience for PlayStation. The studio's expansion should help greatly with the development of a large project made for PS5. Team Asobi's focus on refining game controls will lead to experiences that take full advantage of the PS5's DualSense controller.
PlayStation should continue to invest in its roots in Japanese game development while developing new games catered to a worldwide audience. Team Asobi could create one of the most successful titles on PS5 and encourage more developers to explore new ideas. Currently, Astro's Playroom for PS5 remains Team Asobi's only game on the latest generation of hardware.
Astro's Playroom is available exclusively for PS5.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz