Surprise PlayStation Exclusive & Sequel To Highly-Rated Game Is Getting One Major Twist

Summary Leaks suggest a new Astro Bot game will be announced very soon.

The game is expected to be a PS5 exclusive, something of a sequel to Astro's Playroom.

Astro returning to PS5 instead of PSVR 2 suggests the headset's sales have remained stagnant.

A prominent leaker within the PlayStation community has stated that a hit title from the PSVR era might be getting another sequel announced within the next few weeks, also a follow-up to an unexpected PS5 exclusive. However, people shouldn’t expect it to be coming to the PSVR 2. Instead, all signs point to a new Astro Bot title bringing another exclusive to the PlayStation 5.

This expectation comes from leaker billbil-kun (via X, formerly Twitter), reporting for Dealabs Magazine. Specifically, billbil-kun states that the Astro Bot franchise could see a return via an announcement made in the next 15 days (from May 24).

The new game from Team Asobi is reportedly titled Astro Bot, a simplistic departure from Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Astro's Playroom. The latter was a pack-in game for PlayStation 5 consoles, and has garnered a sympathetic reputation as an interesting platformer in its own right. The alleged PS5 exclusivity of Astro Bot would suggest something of a more direct sequel to Astro's Playroom, rather than a return to the character's VR roots.

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Astro Bot PS5 Exclusive Could Be Announced Soon

PS5 Exclusivity Points To Sony Stepping Away From PSVR 2

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Within 15 days puts Astro Bot's potential announcement within a big week for gaming in early June, which includes Summer Game Fest's opening night, which will be live at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles June 7. The game could also be shown via a PlayStation Showcase, and dropping a reveal trailer for a new Astro Bot title would certainly get people’s attention, given the reception to the first two titles in the series. Astro Bot Rescue Mission was released in 2018 for the PlayStation VR and critical reception was positive for it, earning an aggregate score of 90 on Metacritic.

Although a PSVR 2 sequel to Astro Bot Rescue Mission seems like an obvious route, and could potentially bolster the platform's library, a dedicated follow-up to Astro's Playroom also makes a lot of sense. One reason is likely to be because of the lack of sales for the new VR headset. In March 2024, Sony halted production of the headset because of slowing sales, likely due to a lack of meaningful games to play on it and the steep price.

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In contrast, the PlayStation 5 has sold over 59 million units as of May 2024, and came with Astro’s Playroom at launch. Furthermore, Sony has been going through a bit of restructuring lately, with more titles possibly coming to Steam, and likely desires to have as many exclusive titles on the PlayStation system as possible. Sony likely feels it will be able to sell more copies of the new Astro Bot game as a sequel to Astro's Playroom on its console versus the stalling headset, though leaked information still leaves things relatively up in the air.

Sources: billbil-kun/X, Deadlabs Magazine, Metacritic