Sony's PlayStation 5 launches tomorrow, November 12. Players will be able to choose from several launch exclusives, including Demon's Souls and Spider-Man: Miles Morales. However, every PS5 owner will have one shared experience to play and discuss with others. Astro's Playroom is a demo bundled with every PS5, introducing PS5 buyers to the console's hardware, accessories, and functionality. But, looking forward, this may just be the start for Astro, according to the game's director.
Nicolas Doucet, Creative Director for SIE Japan Studio Team Asobi, recently took to the PlayStation Blog to talk about Astro's Playroom on the PS5. As Doucet is closing the article out, he thanks the PlayStation community and offers a tease. Doucet said, "We would not be here without you and we wanted to show you our most sincere appreciation. Astro will be back with news soon," the implication being that a new Astro project in development.
Unfortunately, Doucet doesn't offer any further hints regarding what's coming next for Astro. He doesn't confirm whether the team will be leaving virtual reality behind, or whether his team will focus exclusively on demo experiences like Astro's Playroom. Technically, he doesn't even confirm if whatever's in the works will be for PS5, but that can be assumed barring a new Astro release on an entirely different console generation.
There are two potential scenarios that seem realistic. One is that the popularity of Astro is substantial enough for the PlayStation mascot to deserve its own full platforming game on the PS5, akin to Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Sony does historically prioritize these kinds of family-oriented games for their platforms, as seen when Knack on PS4 got a sequel.
The second possibility is that Team Asobi remains focused on virtual reality. PSVR for the PS5 hasn't been announced, but many assume it's just a matter of time. A new Astro Bot Rescue Mission launching alongside PSVR 2 could make for a solid launch title. It'd likely be years away from release, however, as Jim Ryan previously confirmed that "the future of VR" will not arrive in 2021.
For the time being, fans of the Astro series should be content with the newly-launching Astro's Playroom on PS5, as well as the promise of more Astro in the future. It's great to consider a VR game whose popularity spread largely due to word of mouth has grown into a proper mascot for the PlayStation brand, and the little robot's future looks even brighter.
Astro's Playroom releases November 12 on PS5.
