A new Astro Bot game could be released on PlayStation this year, it’s claimed. While Sony previously stated that players shouldn’t expect new games from its big existing franchises until at least April 2025, Astro Bot could be an exception since it’s not exactly as big of an IP as Marvel’s Spider-Man or God of War.
According to Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb, Sony is planning on releasing new games from less high-profile franchises in the coming months which includes a new Astro Bot title. Other than that, we can also expect new IP releases such as the live-service game, Concord, which is still scheduled to launch sometime in 2024.
Speaking on his Game Mess Mornings podcast, Grubb stated:
“We already know Rise of the Ronin is coming, we know that Concord, one of the live service games, is scheduled to come out this year. That’s the stuff that’s scheduled for sure. And then it’s like, there might be new game entries in franchises that already exist, they just might not be major in PlayStation’s eyes when they’re talking to investors. They said God of War, they said Spider-Man, these are the franchises that sell 15 million copies lifetime or more.”
Grubb goes on to add, “I’ve heard maybe Astro does happen this year, so if that happens, that’s pretty big for me. I get why Sony’s not thinking that’s a major one for us, at least not yet, hopefully they could turn it into a major one and then a lot of this changes around.”
It’s not mentioned if this will be a PS VR2 title similar to Astro Bot: Rescue Mission or be a more traditional platformer like Astro’s Playroom, which came pre-loaded on every PS5 at launch. Either way, Sony could use a boost in its virtual reality selection or alternatively, give players another potential exclusive platformer that could easily be turned into a big release with enough of a marketing push. It will also nicely fill out the company’s empty calendar in the second half of 2024.
Back in August 2023, Sony filed a trademark for a new Astro Bot game from developer Team Asobi, which doubled the size of its staff to work on its biggest and most ambitious title yet.
Source: Jeff Grubb
