An exclusive Astro Bot-themed suit is available for free on day one. All you have to do is visit Victor Velour’s costume shop for the first time. We’re guessing that the visit happens relatively early on, and that the shop is likely important enough to be unmissable. Overall, it’s a nice giveaway and a suitable callback, especially considering Rayman’s appearance as a VIP Bot in Team Asobi’s award-winning 3D platformer.

There’s a trailer to see too, and it’s a nice way to glimpse both the new suit and the game in action if you’re eager to revisit the past with all the visual bells and whistles of current-gen tech. The platforming looks really smooth, and we’re beginning to see why those PC specs for 4K/60 FPS are so high.

We’re expecting great things from Rayman Legends Retold, considering it’s being touted as a way to restart the franchise. It’s out December 3rd on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Check out some more gameplay from the remake here.

The older games it shows are Ghost of Yōtei, Astro Bot, Saros, and Gran Turismo 7 – four games notable for never coming to PC despite being released during the company’s push to other platforms. Accompanying these are upcoming games like Marvel’s Wolverine and God of War Laufey. This would indicate that there are no plans to bring any of these titles to PC at all, and that going forward the company will only go with multiplatform releases for multiplayer games.

Interestingly, while Sony hasn’t entirely abandoned the idea of multiplatform releases, as could be seen with the continued success of co-op shooter Helldivers 2, the video also shows off one game that has a multiplayer component and still never made it to other platforms – Gran Turismo 7. Recent multiplayer games have still been coming out on more platforms. Marathon, for instance, came to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, on the other hand, only came to PC and PS5. Similarly, Horizon Hunters Gathering is slated for simultaneous release across PC and PS5.

Reports from earlier have indicated that there were some plans to bring Ghost of Yōtei to PC in the past. However, these plans have seemingly been canceled, with people “familiar with the company’s plans” indicating that there was a “faction within PlayStation” that didn’t want to release games on PC.

More recently, it looks like Microsoft also shares some of Sony’s sentiments regarding exclusives, with the company announcing that both Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will only come to PC and Xbox Series X/S. Microsoft is taking a more gradual approach to exclusive games, however, and upcoming titles like Fable continue to be slated for PS5 as well.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has spoken about wanting to release more exclusive games on Xbox in the future. However, she noted that the business “isn’t particularly healthy” at the moment, so the strategy of having a couple of exclusive releases is a way for the company to test the waters. More exclusive games will seemingly be released once the business starts getting healthier.

“Look, I think that we are the number two publisher in the world, and when you do that, you want your games to be everywhere,” she said. “You’re stronger when the world plays with you. At the same time, we’re increasingly becoming more of a platform, and it’s hard to find examples of platforms out there that don’t have exclusive services and content.”

“And so, this is a journey for us. Our business isn’t particularly healthy. So, we’re starting by introducing 1-2 signature exclusives. As the business gets healthy, we will look to try and do more.”

In an interview with the Kinda Funny Gamescast, Studdert, along with studio head Paul Yan, was asked about whether the industry is currently in a new “golden era” when it comes to 3D platformers.

“I don’t know about golden era, but it’s a resurgence. Definitely,” replied Studdert, who went on to say that it “warms my heart because that is totally my genre of choice.” He also called Rayman Legends Retold’s announcement “awesome”, and said that Astro Bot was his “game of the year” when it came out.

“It is so great because these are the experiences that, you know, the reason that I play games is because I grew up with those experiences,” he continued.

Speaking further about why he loves 3D platforming games so much, Studdert described it as “the purest form of video game in my mind”, since it’s “about the fantasy of controlling a different character and the fun and joy that comes in the responsiveness and how you interact with the world. And it’s like you can layer other things on that, but to me, that’s like the source of what makes a fun video game is just exploring a space and having a unique character and a unique way of doing that.”

On the subject of more 3D platformers coming out in recent times, he said that it’s “the more the merrier. It’s phenomenal. I love seeing it.”

In the same interview, Studdert and Yan were also asked about the potential of Toys for Bob making a new entry in the Banjo-Kazooie franchise. Yan said that, while the studio is busy with Spyro for now, Banjo-Kazooie has always felt like a natural fit thanks to its blend of engaging gameplay and timeless characters.

“Those characters, you described as ‘nostalgic.’ I think that’s one way of looking at it. I think of them as timeless. They’re iconic. The types of games that we want to produce are ones that speak to a timeless place in the player as well, an ageless place, right? We call it the inner child. So I think those are wonderful games. We’re huge fans,” he said.

Studdert has also spoken about the upcoming Spyro: A Realm Beyond, which is currently being developed for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2, and is slated for release in Spring 2027. One of the title’s biggest features will be its flight mechanic, which Studdert has described as requiring “active decision-making” on the player’s part.

“We wanted to make sure that it is active. It is decision-making. It is pressing buttons. It is almost, you know, that platforming feel of evaluating a play space and figuring out how to continue,” he explained.

This also comes down to the fact that the version of Spyro in the upcoming title will be an older one that is “much more capable in flight,” according to Yan.

Fortunately, it seems word of mouth has helped the 3D platformer over time, as Alinea Analytics estimates 4.3 million lifetime sales, translating to about $250 million in revenue. This year alone, it allegedly sold more than 600,000 copies, generating nearly $33 million in revenue. One has to wonder if Astro’s Playroom isn’t helping, since it’s pre-installed on every PS5 and serves as a mighty fine appetizer.

While its budget is unknown, the overall scale of Astro Bot is unlike most single-player titles under Sony’s banner. It’s about 12 to 15 hours long, with studio head and creative director Nicolas Doucet taking pride in the absolute lack of fluff or padding.

Granted, that’s just the base game (check out our review here). Astro Bot has received numerous free stages over the years, and while Team Asobi’s next project remains unknown, job listings earlier this year indicated that it may have begun development. Stay tuned for more updates on that front, though it may be a long wait.

While the listing doesn’t go into too many details about this project, some information can be gleaned thanks to mentions of “creating playful and stunning looking environment art for our game”. This might indicate that either Team Asobi is working on a brand new entry in the Astro Bot series, or its new project will at least have a similar tone.

There is also a listing for a Gameplay Programmer that mentions creating “advanced and fun gameplay mechanics around physics engine”, as well as an encouragement to “bring your own game design sense, creativity and humor to these interactions.” The role, reporting to the Lead Gameplay Programmer, has been described in the listing as a mid-level / senior position.

Neither Sony nor Team Asobi have made any official announcements regarding their next project. However, considering the fact that Astro Bot came out back in 2024, the studio is likely to have already begun at least pre-production on a new game.

A sequel to Astro Bot wouldn’t be too surprising, since the 3D platformer even saw praise from PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst during a business update. He praised the title for its universal acclaim, and referred to it as an “emerging IP”.

Sony executive Hiroki Totoki had also expressed enthusiasm for Team Asobi’s work back in February 2025. “At The Game Awards 2024, our first-party title Astro Bot won four categories, including Game of the Year and Best Family Game – the most of any title,” he said, before going on to praise Helldivers 2 as well.

“In addition, the live service game Helldivers 2, which was released in February last year, won Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game awards. The fact that titles in genres we are planning to expand in the future, including titles for families and live service games, have received these awards is a major stride towards building a broad title portfolio.”

The last time we heard from Team Asobi was when studio director Nicolas Doucet spoke about how the DualSense controller and the SSD are the best reasons for PS4 owners to finally upgrade to the current-gen PS5. He noted that, while visual upgrades are also important, the more unique features of the PS5 are the true console sellers.

“When you put graphics side-by-side between an end-of-lifecycle PS4 game and early cycle PS5 game, you could argue, to an untrained eye, that it’s hard to see the difference,” said Doucet back in October. “But early on [with PS5] we got the DualSense prototypes, with this haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. And we tried to understand what could be different about having this kind of trigger, so you can simulate pulling something, or cracking something, or crushing something… We tested all of that.”

In the meantime, check out our review of Astro Bot, which is exclusively available on PS5.

Doucet, whose studio is responsible for the critically-acclaimed platformer Astro Bot, points out that, while late PS4-era games and early PS5 games may not be that different in terms of visual fidelity, the newer features on the PS5 make the console worth it. These features include the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, as well as the SSD used for game storage over the PS4’s considerably slower hard drive.

“When you put graphics side-by-side between an end-of-lifecycle PS4 game and early cycle PS5 game, you could argue, to an untrained eye, that it’s hard to see the difference,” said Doucet. “But early on [with PS5] we got the DualSense prototypes, with this haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. And we tried to understand what could be different about having this kind of trigger, so you can simulate pulling something, or cracking something, or crushing something… We tested all of that.”

“When you’ve gone through [that process], you get to appreciate the changes. There are some leaps, but they’re maybe less obvious than when we went to HD graphics. That’s something that you can just stare at the screen for a few seconds and understand. With the controller, you have to get it in your hands and get a feel for it.”

As for the leap in quality offered by the PS5’s SSD, Doucet also brings up games where players are likely to see frequent loading screens, like FromSoftware’s Souls series where player death is a common occurrence, which often tends to involve a loading screen before the player respawns.

“But I do think the PS5, between the DualSense and the SSD, really brought something special,” explained Doucet. “With the SSD… I’m thinking of things like the Souls games, where you die a lot. And when you die, you used to have to wait a long time before you get a second try. With the SSD, that becomes really, really fast. So, in terms of just the pleasure of play, that’s really increased.”

When comparing PS5 with PC as a gaming platform, Doucet also noted a major advantage that console developers tend to have: being able to target a single set of hardware. This, according to Doucet, “allows us to focus, because you’re not putting in time dealing with compatibility or permutations. It’s why I’ve always liked consoles.”

Astro Bot has been a massive hit for Sony, with Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Studio Business Group CEO Hermen Hulst praising the title in a business update from back in June. He referred to the PS5-exclusive platformer as one of the “most exciting recent successes” for PlayStation. For more details, check out our review of Astro Bot.

Astro Bot creative director Nicolas Doucet spoke in the interview about how the studio tries to strike a similar balance, and has not yet faced friction that one would expect from the creative aspects of game development with business decisions. He does note, however, that if it were to actually become an issue, a conversation would need to happen.

“If the creative side started feeling ostracised or penalised . . . between us we’d have that conversation” said Doucet (via Genki_JPN). “That would definitely come to a boil.”

Art director Sabastian Brueckner attributes the studio’s success within PlayStation’s ambitious plans as stemming from Team Asobi being a smaller studio with 60 employees. He spoke about how larger studios with 200 or 350 employees wouldn’t have the same level of intimacy between team members as smaller teams would have. “I think that intimacy is really hard to replicate if you would grow to like 200, 350 people,” he said.

PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst spoke about how the company wants to approach developing games moving forward, while keeping the same balance. “I don’t want teams to always play it safe, but I would like for us, when we fail, to fail early and cheaply,” he said.

These decisions come in light of Sony over the last year having cancelled several of its live service projects in the wake of Concord’s negative reception by critics and players alike. Addressing these cancellations, Hulst spoke about how PlayStation is now more focused on offering players diverse experiences.

“The number [of live-service releases] is not so important. What is important to me is having a diverse set of player experiences and a set of communities,” he said.

“We have since put in place much more rigorous and more frequent testing in very many different ways,” he continued. “The advantage of every failure… is that people now understand how necessary that [oversight] is.”

Bernstein analyst Robin Zhu also mentioned that Concord might have been one of the major releases that has forced Sony to learn from its mistakes. Zhu also notes that the company is poised for long-term success as long as it doesn’t stray from the kinds of games that made PlayStation popular to begin with.

“That Concord has forced them to learn their lessons is the silver lining,” said Zhu. “Sony is in a great position to capitalise long-term if they focus on the kind of games that make them different and successful.”

As for new projects in the future, Hulst spoke about how PlayStation’s approach to creating and developing new IP is “very intentional”, with the company taking time to understand “how a new concept can turn into an iconic franchise for PlayStsation, that can then again become a franchise for people beyond gaming.”

These are part of the new Vicious Void Galaxy, and players can also discover new Special Bots from other video game franchises. As showcased in the tweet below, this includes Atsu from Ghost of Yōtei and her wolf companion (just in time for the upcoming State of Play deep dive). We won’t spoil the other additions, but suffice it to say that some are more fantasy-like than others.

Astro Bot is available exclusively for PS5 and has sold 1.5 million copies in nine weeks. Sony hasn’t provided any sales updates since, but it has received extensive post-launch support. It was also the recipient of several Game of the Year awards, including at The Game Awards 2024. Check out our review, where we gave it a nine out of ten.

“Astro Bot was a smash hit, achieving universal acclaim among players and critics and sweeping industry award shows,” said Hulst about the critically-acclaimed platformer that came out as a PS5 exclusive back September 2024. As part of the business update, Hulst also referred to Astro Bot as an “emerging IP”, since three titles have been developed featuring the character front-and-center so far.

He also spoke about wanting to make more Astro Bot games in the future, referring to its future as “an enduring and iconic game franchise for PlayStation,” according to X user Genki_JPN.

Sony executive Hiroki Totoki had expressed similar enthusiasm for Astro Bot back in February, praising the game for being nominated across multiple categories during The Game Awards 2024. Totoki had also praised Helldivers 2 for similar reasons.

“At The Game Awards 2024, our first-party title Astro Bot won four categories, including Game of the Year and Best Family Game – the most of any title,” said Totoki.

“In addition, the live service game Helldivers 2, which was released in February last year, won Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game awards. The fact that titles in genres we are planning to expand in the future, including titles for families and live service games, have received these awards is a major stride towards building a broad title portfolio.”

Astro Bot had been proving itself to be quite successful shortly after launch. Sony revealed back in November 2024 that more than 1.5 million copies of the 3D platformer had been sold over the span of the title’s first nine weeks after release.

Since its release, the developers behind Astro Bot have revealed quite a few interesting details about the game. For example, creative director Nicolas Doucet had revealed in an interview back in March that the game’s beloved VIP Bot stages were originally conceived as mini-stages.

“The [VIP Stage] was initially thought of as a mini-stage, but it got bigger and bigger,” said Doucet. “It’s not mini at all.”

Doucet had also spoken about how surprising it was for the development team at Asobi to see the success of VR game Astro Bot Rescue Mission – which was essentially the first Astro Bot game ever.

“It was an amazing project because we made it without any expectations,” said Doucet, talking about the fun experimentation that the studio was able to partake in during the development of Astro Bot Rescue Mission. “All we wanted was to do the best possible evolution of that prototype and help VR show people VR can do this, this, this, and that. We were trying to come up with as many original ideas as possible.”

Astro Bot is available on PS5. The game is also available as part of a bundle alongside the console. Check out our review for more details.

These include Twin-Frog Trouble, Suck It Up, Handhold Havoc, High Inflation and a mystery level. Doucet also teased “something really cool” potentially occurring after finishing the Vicious Void. Players can also look forward to new Special Bots for each level, including Atsu from Ghost of Yōtei.

Stay tuned for more details on the levels when they go live. Astro Bot is available on PS5 and received overwhelmingly critical praise and awards last year. Check out our review here.

The total level count is now over 90, with five levels added post-launch, followed by Building Speed and Winter Wonderland. Five more levels arrived earlier this year, and there don’t seem to be any plans to stop soon.