Forget Profound Narratives, Sony Needs To Take More Creative Risks Like Astro Bot

It’s been quite some time since we’ve witnessed some of Sony’s magic, but that doesn’t mean it has faded just yet. It’s true that this somewhat barren time is hurting its fans, but that is about to change soon. With Marvel’s Wolverine and multiple other titles on the horizon, things are about to change for the better.

Before you start celebrating the return of Sony’s signature single-player titles, take a moment to look at this dark horse, the amalgamation of Sony’s history and throwback to its glory days. That’s right, Wolverine isn’t the one to look forward to, it’s Astro Bot.

Astro Bot — A Throwback To The Glory Days

Turn back the hands of time, and imagine. Sony’s releasing Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Parappa the Rapper, Sly Cooper, and Knack left and right, and you’re having the time of your life enjoying these creative gems. Fast forward to the recent State of Play. You’re sitting in disappointment watching the overall mediocre event, when suddenly Astro Bot appears before your eyes.

My reaction to state of play
byu/Majid232 invideogames

Your mind immediately blasts to that glorious era long gone, as you watch in awe and count all the references you can find in the trailer. Creative level design, goofy abilities, impressive traversal, and a ton of content masterfully packed in a brilliant game, that’s what Astro Bot is. And if you ask me, it’s one of, if not the best thing Sony has done in recent times.

However, that’s what you and I believe. Creative and unconventional gems like this are considered massive risks these days. They stray away from the tried and tested route, and with gaming so much more of a business now, this is not a favorable step. Team Asobi’s President believes the same, but he’s going ahead with it regardless because sometimes, creative thinking matters the most.

are studios losing sight of what makes games fun?
byu/ihavenopersonalityha intruegaming

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Considering the present circumstances and the “modern” audiences, I’m inclined to agree that Astro Bot is indeed a huge risk. But creative risks like these are what brought gaming to the stage it is today. Without arcane experimentation and bizarre ideas of past minds, a lot of what’s possible today wouldn’t have even happened.

Can we just get more games like Astro Bot?
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Plus, a risk can go either way. Suppose Astro Bot is a major flop. Sony won’t be going bankrupt, it can tolerate one flopped game. It will get the confirmation that people’s love of creativity is dead, it’ll stick to narrative-driven single-players, and I’ll never ask Sony to ever do something creative again if people let this gem flop.

That’s the loss. Now imagine the amount of gain Sony would get from Astro Bot becoming a worldwide sensation. And of the two imaginary scenarios, I’m pretty sure this second one is more closer to reality. Look at Nintendo and its lineup of imaginative titles dominating the field. Sony has now come up with an answer to Mario Odyssey, and it just might be a fair fight.

Need more proof of why Astro Bot will be successful? Look at the wishlist charts of the new releases, and you’ll find this creative work of art at the top. People’s love for wacky imagination isn’t dead just yet.

Astro Bot was the No.1 wishlisted game according to IGN during the not-E3/SGF period of game announcements. Coming out just ahead of Doom, Gears of War and Perfect Dark. https://t.co/Xtx7KF5ozx pic.twitter.com/yvKE14u781

— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) June 14, 2024

A Risk Is What Sony Needs Now

Besides, it’s about time Sony did something risky and different from its one-trick-pony formula. Recently, all the company has done is profound narratives, continuations of established single-player franchises, or another Last of Us Remake (Seriously, enough with this). While I like Sony’s exclusives as much as the next guy, the desire for something innovative has become critical now as a PlayStation owner.

Jim Ryan on the future of PlayStation Studios.

"These third person, graphically beautiful narrative rich games will continue to be the bedrock of our first party publishing business." pic.twitter.com/i8OhBjZQLb

— MBG (@xMBGx) September 23, 2023

Sony of the past was responsible for so many legendary adventures pushing the limit of creative design that I’ve lost count. Where has that company gone? For such a giant contender in the gaming industry, it rarely does something insanely risky these days. This is precisely why Astro Bot is so massively exciting. It’s a reminder of what Sony embodied back in the majestic PS2 era.

Sony’s new approach to blockbuster titles and big-budget spectacles is a lot less sustainable than you think. Have you noticed the insanely long development cycle of these? The last Sony first-party game was Spider-Man 2, which was Insomniac staying 100 miles away from any risk and playing it extremely safely, resulting in a less than ideal iteration.

PS5 will go down as the first console in history to not have a single game.
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The way Sony has become, with its insanely budgeted AAAs and lengthy development cycles, it can hardly afford risks, but that’s all the more reason why it’s suffering. Is there even a single Sony first-party game coming in 2024? Can one big game and then 2 years of nothing keep people hooked for long?

This is precisely why Sony needs some short AA games, just creative and mad fun titles to let people go wild in between its tried and tested AAA blockbusters. Astro Bot is a risk that’ll probably show Sony how much it needs to take risks.