It was in 2018 with the launch of the incredible Astro Bot Rescue Mission that the mascot platformer IP really started gaining traction, while in 2020, the free PS5 pack-in tech demo Astro’s Playroom was also well received by players. Later this year, however, the series will be making its full console debut with Astro Bot– which, according to creative director and studio head at developer Nicolas Doucet, was always the plan.
Speaking in an interview with Push Square, Doucet revealed that after development on Astro’s Playroom wrapped up, the development team’s focus immediately shifted to developing the IP’s first full-fledged console game, and that support for PS VR2 was never really a consideration. The reason for that, as per Doucet, is that in the case of a platformer, designing or not designing around VR are two completely different design philosophies.
“We focused 100% on this one from the get-go after Astro’s Playroom,” Doucet said. “[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, [PSVR2] 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,” he added. “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.”
Given the fact that Astro Bot’s first big adventure was a PS VR exclusive, there will obviously be some who will be a tad disappointed that the series is leaving the medium behind, but then again, it’s also incredibly exciting to see it taking the next big step forward, especially with a game that’s looking so promising.
Astro Bot is due out on September 6 for PS5.
