Astro Bot Studio's Next Game is Its Biggest to Date

gamerant.com:

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.

PSVR2 Could Support Local Multiplayer Games

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