Summary
One of the PlayStation 5’s most critically acclaimed first-party exclusives,Astro’s Playroom, has seen a tremendous influx of players in recent weeks. Developed by Team Asobi,Astro’s Playroomlaunched as a pre-installed title with the PlayStation 5.
While the game may have only been anticipated as a tech demo to showcase the potential of the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, many players were delighted by the game’s charm that hearkened back to PlayStation’s classic platformer IPs likeCrash Bandicoot,Tomba, andSpyro the Dragon. Thenumerous PlayStation references inAstro’s Playroomalso added to its mass appeal, and fans have been craving more.
PlayStation clearly took the hint, asTeam Asobi formally announcedAstro Botat Sony’s May State of Play. Touted as a much larger and more expansive title while still keeping the original game’s charm, the reveal was an instant hit with audiences. According to a recentreport by TrueTrophies, this hype spiked the active player count ofAstro’s Playroomby a whopping 107.12% on PS5 for the week ending June 2, a few days after the State of Play aired. The data was sampled from over 3.1 million active PSN accounts.
The Recent Astro’s Playroom Update Offers More Reasons to Jump Back In
Impressively, this surge in popularity remained mostly consistent for the following week (ending June 9), asAstro’s Playroomonly lost about 4.7% of the players from the week before. The game also scaled up the TrueTrophies PlayStation chart to the 18th position, up from 21. It’s theorized that thesurpriseAstro’s Playroomcontent updateon June 7 may have played a big role in retaining players for the second week, as it added new trophies, collectibles, and four new Special Bot rescue missions.
The dramatic increase in player interest for one of the PS5’s beloved first-party titles is encouraging to see ahead ofAstro Bot’s launch on September 6. Preorders for the upcoming game recently went live at a $60 price point, which many find reasonable considering the reported scope of the game. Team Asobi has confirmed thatAstro Botwill feature over 80 levels and 150 VIP bots inspired by PlayStation characters from past and present franchises, all without any microtransactions. The announcement trailer alreadyreferences a myriad of PlayStation franchises, and fans are eager to experience what the full game holds come September.
