Astro Bot is arguably Sony's most promising first-party exclusive for 2024 in a year otherwise devoid of big releases. The platform game looked great on its State of Play debut, but it won't support PS VR2 despite the franchise launching on the first PS VR headset with 2018's Astro Bot: Rescue Mission.
At Summer Game Fest 2024, Push Square asked Team Asobi's Studio Director and Creative Director Nicolas Doucet why. You can read his response below.
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So, we focused 100% on this one from the get-go after Astro's Playroom. It was the hope that if it was welcome, it could be a platformer that stands on its own feet, and we could go off to make a bigger version of it. So no, PS VR2 was not a consideration.
When we talk about VR versus non-VR, for a game like Astro, if you were to make a VR version, it has to be fully designed for that medium. And if it's not a VR version, it has to be fully designed for that medium. Certain games can afford to be hybrid, like first-person games, because there's a closer similarity. But in our case, the design philosophy for both are very, very different. So, you know, it was a decision to expand on the world of Astro's Playroom and bring Astro to the big stage. So, from the beginning, that was really our focus.
Another possible reason is that Astro Bot is by far the biggest game in the franchise yet, featuring around 80 levels spread across six planets. This inevitably means a larger investment from Sony, which will be interested in selling as many copies as possible. PS VR2 isn't doing too well, and it would certainly have limited the game's sales potential if it was only available for the VR headset.
Astro Bot will be released for PlayStation 5 on September 6. However, given Sony's stance on PC, it's likely the game will be ported to the platform in the next couple of years.
Platform
Sony
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exclusive
wellness
stage
Nicolas Doucet