PlayStation boss Hermen Hulst wants to develop Astro Bot into an enduring series, calling it one of the consoles "most exciting recent successes"
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PlayStation boss Hermen Hulst has praised Astro Bot, calling it one of PlayStation's "most exciting recent successes."
Astro Bot was a breath of fresh air for Sony's first-party output which has been relegated to cinematic third-person action games for the longest time, and embodied the spirit of Japan Studio (it getting shut down is probably the biggest blunder of Sony's 2020s, if you ask me). Since then the game has become one of the most beloved platformers of all time, winning Game of the Year at the BAFTAs and The Game Awards.
Sony Interactive Entertainment's business group CEO Hermen Hulst gives the game praise during a recent video presentation (via Genki_JPN). During the talk, he calls Astro Bot one of PlayStation's "most exciting recent successes."
Hulst adds: "Astro Bot was a smash hit, achieving universal acclaim among players and critics and sweeping industry award shows." When speaking about growing game IP into franchises, Astro Bot is listed as an "emerging IP," hopefully meaning that we should be getting more Astro in the future, (thankfully).
Hopefully the success of Astro Bot shows PlayStation the value in having franchises that don't quite fit into that prestige AAA mold or the live service world. After Japan Studio was shuttered in 2021, it meant the studio which were constantly pumping out unique games and ideas were all but gone (the studio was merged into Team Asobi).
But, in an era where big Sony series are taking longer to come out (the PS5 generation will probably almost be over by the time the next Naughty Dog game releases), little games like Ape Escape, Gravity Rush, and Patapon would go down a treat.
Sony is "really thoughtful" about bringing PlayStation franchises like God of War and The Last of Us off console, and PS5 games going to PC is a matter of "if", not when.
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But sanctuary is short-lived; his father is an end-times Christian who welcomes in his ravenous flock and hands his horrified son a crucifix, telling him to 'have faith.' This opening scene seems more like an overture and, indeed, has very little to do with what follows for most of the film's near-two-hour running time. We then jump forward 28 years to an island community off the northeast coast. By this time, we learn, the Rage virus has been contained to Britain, while European armies patrol the coast to prevent any of its inhabitants from leaving. The island itself is cut off from the mainland via a path that only appears at low tide, and its citizens keep a constant vigil at the ramshackle but heavily fortified entrance. The island is home to 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams), who lives with his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and mother Isla (Jodie Comer). Confined to her bed, Isla is given to violent fits and delusional behavior, slipping in and out of rational consciousness. It is during one of these rare moments of clarity that she learns of Jamie's plans to take Spike over to the mainland, which does not go down well. Indeed, the islanders also warn Jamie that Spike is a little on the young side ('14 or 15 is more in keeping'), but off they set anyway, man and boy each armed with a bow and a quiver's supply of arrows. The trip is filmed like a father-son safari, with Spike in awe at the sheer expanse of the mainland. 'It's so big,' he marvels. 'You can go for days and weeks without seeing the coast,' Jamie tells him. The zombie hordes, meanwhile, exist for Spike to make his first kill, starting with the fat, bloated ones that writhe around on the forest floor and seem to survive on worms. 'Head and heart,' his old man reminds him as he lines up the shot. 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