There have been a lot of quality first-party PlayStation 5 games, but perhaps the most underappreciated is Astro’s Playroom. Sure, it was just a relatively small-scale pack-in title, but Astro’s Playroom was a ton of fun and made better use of the Dualsense controller’s unique features than any game since.
Well, according to reliable leaker Billbil-kun, a new entry in the Astro series, simply titled Astro Bot, is in the works at Team Asobi and will be revealed sometime within the next 15 days. Billbil-kun hints that the game may have multiple playable characters, including one that looks like a fennec fox, and may have multiple themed environments, including a desert-y level. Fingers crossed for a larger-scale game of similar quality as Astro’s Playroom.
While our leaker doesn’t explicitly state it, if seems likely the Astro Bot reveal will coincide with a new PlayStation Showcase rumored for May. Jeff Grubb was the one that initially started the rumor, and he’s stuck to his guns since, and Shpeshal Nick has since chimed in to say he’s heard the showcase will happen somewhere around May 28. Of course, take this all with a grain of salt for now, but it certainly seems like some sort of PlayStation show is coming, even if perhaps happens in early June instead of late May.
While Sony has stated they won’t be releasing any “major franchise” titles this fiscal year (which runs until the end of March 2025), that doesn’t mean big third-party exclusives and smaller, more experimental first-party titles might now be on the way. In addition to Astro Bot, we’ve already heard Firewalk Studios’ new multiplayer shooter IP Concord may soon be fully revealed, so it seems like the upcoming PlayStation Showcase may be a good one for those missing Sony’s quirkier, more original side.
What do you think? Excited for the possible return of Astro Bot? Personally, I still consider Astro’s Playroom one of my favorite PS5 exclusives, so I’m surprisingly hyped.
