Astro Bot's Director talks development, Japan Studio, favorite cameos, & more! (Interview)

[@TheGoldenBolt]

As noted in the intro, forgive the camera captures being crunchy in the interview itself - the PlayStation rep hosting the Microsoft Teams call offered to record it locally via Microsoft Teams, and it didn't even occur to me that the Teams app's recording quality might be iffy (especially when we're talking about a call featuring both coasts of the US as well as Tokyo!) I used my local audio backup to clean up the watery audio where possible.

[@nicolasdoucet32]

Thank you Kevin, it was a relaxing time talking to you. I truly enjoyed it. Thank you for your thoughtful questions and passion ❤

[@ThePlatinumBolt]

Thanks once again for taking the time! Hopefully everybody at Asobi enjoys the post-launch vibes (and some well-earned rest!)

[@MattTheHuman9]

Hope you and the team celebrate the success of this game!

[@holitinne]

The game made me feel like a kid again! Wishing you and your team great things!

[@curryking1]

Thank you Nicolas for your wonderful teams game loveeee ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Danker19991]

Thank you Nicolas for saving Japan studio and bringing us one of the best PlayStation titles in years. You guys have made a platformer that is on par with the best Mario has to offer.

[@brokenfacedclown1045]

Astro was my 5 year old son’s favourite game. His now 7 an we got him Astro bot first day of release and he is engrossed in it. Thank you asobi I’m sure when his 30 he will remember this game as his first proper gaming experience. Like me with sonic an my mega drive back in the day.

[@ReyoPoyo]

Let's try to make more parent know about this game so it succeeds!

[@Jm649]

As a 90's baby who grew up with games, thats true. You never forget your first experience with great games! And Astro is definitely one of them 😁Mine were Spyro, Crash & FF7 🤩💙

[@-EJ-]

It’s truly amazing that Astro is only here because of Croc and it’s impact.

[@Kasaix]

This is just the perfect game. GOTY contender for sure.

[@FlameOfUdun96]

This is easily one of the best platformers I’ve played, period. I hope this game’s success encourages Sony to rethink their priorities going forward.

[@RayzaNC]

Team Asobi are one of the most talented developers in the world, Astro Bot Rescue Mission was already one of the top 10 best games ever made imo and they just did it again and made an even better game, i'm sure it's going to win GOTY

[@CheckmateStallioN]

The game is absolutely incredible! The physics engine (when you spin punch in big piles of leaves and the thousands of fallen apples at the end of the Trunk of Funk benchmark level) is hands down the best I have ever seen in a game. The fact that the game did not drop a single frame when you spin punch all those thousands of apples mixed with leaves at the end of the Trunk of Funk level is proof this game is a passion project made by geeks for geeks no corporate suit BS. Trunk of Funk and the Octopus boss are my stand outs so far really showing how Asobi loves to flex their physics engine.

[@MrMisuma]

I’m 47 years old and this game puts the biggest smile on my face - we need more platformers 😍

[@Sneaky_racoon_sly]

This guy is very good in communication. Thats why this project worked. If you have a good teamleader and the team is confident you can reach everything

[@Danker19991]

Nicolas seems like a truly passionate guy. I saw the studio tour of Team Asobi and looks like he’s fostered a genuine culture of innovation and motivation to make the best products they can, and it definitely shows in Astro’s Playroom and Astro Bot.

[@Patrick-tw7nr]

This game is truly an amazing experience that took back to my childhood days of playing Super Mario on the original NES. That feeling is something that was hard to recreate but was able to get some of that in 2024 with Astro Bot. It was worth the 59.99 day one purchase and will continue to support games that are made for me on day one.

[@ProfessionalRacist007]

Thank you for reminding the world(and Sony!) what PlayStation's true identity is. This type of game is what I grew up with as a kid.

[@mischiefmotorsgame]

That cooking game he mentions was such a blast. It was in a jampack demo as an imported game. So fun.

[@ThePlatinumBolt]

I genuinely came out of this with a couple deep cut Japanese games to check out, that had never been on my radar before - which was not at all on my bingo card! I at least knew of the name Segagaga but the cooking game? Completely new.

[@mischiefmotorsgame]

@@ThePlatinumBolt yeah, i havent played Astro yet but just finished Playroom with my kids and it was a lot of fun. Love all the cameos so cant wait to see the ones in this game. As for Ore no Ryouri, you have to try it. I had so much fun with just the demo. I should try the rest of the game! Its basically a game that uses both Dual Shock Analog sticks which was rare back then, like Ape Escape. Its dumb fun!

[@D4RK2ZERO]

DLC Speedrun missions ✔️ Harder levels ✔️ Please also include a level editor, where we can create our own challenges and share them with the community.

[@GonzalezJio]

A sequel might be better. A level editor kinda is the last step to a dying franchise

[@SomniaCE]

I've been so depressed with Sony for the past 10-11 years. This and Playroom really reignited my love for the company again and I can only hope that a scrappy team of 60 experienced developers making one of the best games of all time in 3 years will be a wakeup call for Sony that there IS a place for fun, there IS a place for smaller scale teams and projects just like the good ol' days provided they handle marketing and release schedules properly.

[@robardian3697]

3 years is a good time for development. Sonys other teams have lost sight that. Especially Naughty Dog.

[@atticus3743]

I think we need more Astro merch my kids and I love Astro so it would be nice to get them some toys, great video!

[@Basile.BowBow]

I'm glad that a person from my country was creative director on the GOTY

[@apukdcfc]

Astrobot & Random Access Memories (seen behind Nicolas) are 2 of the finest pieces of entertainment in the last 24 years! Bravo Team Asobi & Daft Punk! ❤

[@matthewtfields8566]

I would love an “Astro’s Wreckroom” a Mario Maker type game!

[@Xerzene]

I really hope Astro Bot marks a before and after for Sony and they realize that not every game they make has to be AAA with a budget of 100 million or more and 5-8 years of development that sells millions and millions of copies. Having smaller franchises that don't take years and millions to create is necessary to have a steady revenue flow, which is something Nintendo has been doing for years. Fire Emblem, Metroid, Xenoblade and many other IPs don't sell the same as Zelda, Mario or Pokemon but they continue to make new games because their audience shows up for the release of a new one. If Sony is smart they will look at their dead IPs, pick a few and make new games knowing the fact that these will not replace their AAA cinematic over the shoulder games, but will serve as a supplement while they develop their next big game

[@ThePlatinumBolt]

It's worth remembering, from a historical lens, that shit takes time. Like in 5 years people are going to say Astro Bot was the moment that led to a structural pivot, if they do go in the direction we're all hoping (and that I'm thinking they will) - it's not gonna be Astro that necessarily caused it, it's going to be the internal structural shifts over the last few years that got there, when the executives that greenlit Concord or built up the PSVR2's development teams, or hastily bought Bungie while the Activision-Microsoft deal's implications were unknown and scary (i.e. CoD exclusivity and what that'd do from a business perspective). There are millions of decisions that lead us to these moments that feel like watersheds. (Also worth noting since I see it all the time, that a lot of Sony's IP are kind of hard to just pick up and bring back, when they're going to necessarily feel completely different, with a whole new generation of people working on them. And I don't think we're as receptive to the idea of a completely new take on Ape Escape or Sly Cooper or Jak as we like to think we are. It's the catch-22: Do you leverage an old brand name and risk pissing off the people that loved it for exactly what it was, or do you just give the creatives the chance to do something that they can own, without that baggage? There's no right answer, and both can end up being really wrong, unless you have a specifically-built team of diehard fans of the series in question - and even then, good luck getting even _those_ folks to agree!)

[@MattTheHuman9]

I liked how he wanted to represent all regions. Singstar and Buzz were really big in PAL regions during the PS2 era so it was nice to see them. Respect to him and the team for recognising the lack of PS platformers lately. Great interview and questions!

[@JerryFlowersIII]

I'm so happy with the game and people's shared excitement for it. I really hope it sends a good message to PlayStation that these kinds of games are viable and continue with them even beyond Team Asobi.

[@NoxideActive]

Congrats on landing this interview! I have been so happy all day, looking at the reception this game is getting. This team has a great future ahead of them.

[@destebangm11216]

this is amazing, great to see you interviewing him. I really want a PC port, I stopped buying consoles since the Japan Studio closure because I felt the majority of Sony exclusives were very similar to one another, so I mainly play on PC now, but I would happily buy Astro Bot if it ever comes out 💙

[@StickyX999]

Funny bc that applies to japan studio too, they made very similar games to on another, well they co-developed similar games since they actually not have that many game actually fully developed by them. I would argue this gen has a pretty nice variety, Returnal is such a unique, risky and bold game that i doubt japan studio could've made something like that, but it sold more than 90% of their games lol.

[@destebangm11216]

@@StickyX999 Ratchet, Returnal and astro bot are the only games that have any kind of identity, all the rest are either remastered games or 3rd person action adventure games, the PS3 and PS4 gen had way more original games and even if the PS4 had a lot of remasters atleast it brought back way more variety. I loved ratchet and clank rift apart but comparing that to all the other stuff that came before is not really much. Sony killed Japan studio by not making good publicity around some of their games, they also decided to kill the vita by not giving it proper first party games aside from Gravity Rush and abandoned it in a year, and the same is happenning to the PSVR2, Sony is prefering to kill creativity to chase live service trends and they have cancelled like 8 of those. SONY has extremely bad management and horrible commitement for innovation. That is why almost everygame has to be a variation of the last of us, because that's the only formula that they managed to make it work, they literally became Ubisoft but if they made well built games,all of them taste the same, they are good games but I have played them several times by now.

[@drimiss8712]

Something i wanna know if outside of the DLC speedrun and chanllenge levels, Will they keep updating Astro Bot with QOL stuff, gameplay tweaks or maybe even add those cut tools or levels if there are some? I would love to see this game being updated for a while until is the perfect version of itself possible. Something i kinda disagree with Nicolas is about discussion around the game, i don't think is being healthy at all, i usually just see japan studio "fans" trying to weaponize Astro against other PS games for dumb reasons, spreading misinformation and reductionisms. I think this game IS imporart, it can teach a lot of things to other companies when it comes to more family friendly games, quality over quantity, usage of amazing tech, gorgeous graphics and art direction none of them fighting each other but people should try to keep it civil, not being hyper reactionary putting other games down just to praise this one. Also i don't know what he meant with "90% of the time playing compared to other games that are trendy these days" why is that important, aren't most "trendy" games like that already? seems like some weird stigma towards other type of games. Anyway, i really hope the best for Team Asobi and i can't wait to see what the future holds.

[@makotito73]

I need them to make Gravity Rush 3. Sony please let them inherit the IP.

[@masterofdoom5000]

Glad there was an appreciation and desire to put in more obscure title references, a consoles library strength is not just the blockbuster titles but also the smaller niches that satiate a very specific interest for a smaller crowd. Such is a concept I wish Sony showed a general appreciation for more, the famous PS2 library isn't just known for one specific type of game it's got EVERYTHING for just about ANYONE.

[@portalplayer]

wished u asked him about more game themed levels(gow) and the future of astro bot/asobi studios

[@ThePlatinumBolt]

I avoided digging too much into the former, since asking "What about X" would potentially give away the ones that are in the game, and the latter he's already kind of answered in other interviews from this cycle: That's up to players, whether Astro becomes the mascot everybody is saying he should become. (But also, the Platinum trophy description straight-up says "see you in Astro's next adventure," and between that and the confidence Sony's been showing in this one, I think that's a safe bet!)

[@senshai1267]

This game is definitely LEGENDARY status

[@victorsalazar445]

Great interview!! I really enjoyed the emphasis on feedback from the players. An important message that may need to be heard by the industry to allow for possibilities regarding these types of games. The last five minutes of the interview; "chefs kiss!!"

[@KeshenMac]

19:46 Ore no Ryouri (My Cooking), 1999 for PS1

[@peplo101]

I need more japan studio videos

[@Sneaky_racoon_sly]

5:19 i am so happy that there are difficult levels in the game otherwise it would have been just a gimmick game

[@ABELITO-s2b]

TEAM ASOBI

[@ABlob]

Interesting interview... I hope Astro Bot will sell at least decently well to send Sony a message. I kind of hope Team Asobi makes more than just Astro Bot though, tbh, they could totally revive family-friendly (or at least more fun) Sony IPs that were abandoned in the PS2/PS3 era. Ape Escape feels like the most obvious one, but I have no idea if they want to do it without main developers from that series being at Asobi or Sony in general (cross-referencing them at Mobygames at least gives no real results there; not even the sequels or the 2011 PlayStation Move game). I'll blame Knack II for that though, not Team Asobi.

[@galacticmaui2]

Such a great game

[@samson7294]

While i definitely want more games like Astro Bot, I can see why Sony focuses on more mature games. The fanbase has grown up over the past 30 years so the software has grown up with them. It just makes business sense. However, I would love to see more of these games be released. Would be awesome if in between the 1-2 year wait for your Spidermans,. Horizons, God of Wars etc that we could get 2-3 smaller scale games like Astro. Sony has to foster that talent though and allow them to take the small risks

[@Jocaju3]

Great interview, really enjoyed. I know the interview is about Astro Bot, but maybe you should have sneaked a question and asked if they plan on porting Astro Bot Rescue Mission to PSVR2😅.

[@ThePlatinumBolt]

Earlier interviews in this cycle (and as far back as the game's announcement) had been pretty clearly inching towards the "we're not going back to VR" angle, since they haven't looked at VR dev in any substantive manner in probably a half-decade. (Not to mention that the PSVR2's massive underperformance/manufacturing surplus combo was some pretty massive egg on Sony's face, and had already more or less cratered internal dev for the thing earlier this year. That PC adapter is pretty much the saving grace for the VR2, but I don't think it'll end up kickstarting first party dev back up at this point after all the layoffs.) So, as much as I'd love for more(?) people to have a shot at playing Rescue Mission, it would've been some wasted air here.

[@Jocaju3]

Yeah, it's just a frustrating situation for us PSVR2 owners. Sony should at least contract a porting company to bring first party VR1 games to VR2. They closed London Studios which would be the ideal studio since they made games/demos for VR. Regardless, this conversation is for a different video. This should be all about Astro Bot😊.

[@ThePlatinumBolt]

Absolutely agreed - that sort of support of at the very least their first party titles if nothing else, would've gone a long way towards getting me to buy in. For now, I'm waiting for a really good price and confirmation the PC adapter's kinks have been worked out, because I don't at all trust that they're gonna support it nearly as well as they did the VR1.

[@TobeyStarburst]

Game is amazing

[@WhiteBoyGamer]

he joined japan studio 2011. would have loved some bloodborne related questions

[@ThePlatinumBolt]

It would have been really funny to ask somebody "hey what was it like working on that game you didn't work on," actually.

[@HiLoMusic]

This should have been on the main channel

[@ThePlatinumBolt]

It's doing just as well here as it would've there, thankfully! If I hadn't had two Astro videos this week already, or if the video quality had been a bit less choppy, or if it wasn't well out of the style the main audience expects - it probably would've gone there. But that's what second channels are for, for things that don't quite fit the mold!

[@EPS5000]

I have two questions about the intro 1) why do you have both a “golden” and “platinum” channel? 2) what’s the difference between them?

[@ThePlatinumBolt]

The old name of The Golden Bolt 2: Goldener stopped tickling me, so I decided to use another of the Bolts from my old scoring system. Assuming you didn't find this organically, you came from the main channel, so you know that this sort of video isn't the same style as mainline TGB videos. Too many of those, or update videos, or fun lil shitposts/one off ideas, or even just livestream VODs - too many of any of these things usually ends up harming a channel and affecting the reach of "main" videos. That's why most creators end up with two or three channels, so that the viewers can choose which pieces they want in their feeds!

[@EPS5000]

@@ThePlatinumBolt Oh I see, interesting. I didn't even know either channel existed, I just did a search for "astro bot interview" looking for something similar to the behind the scenes Sony did, and this was one of the top results 😅 I liked the interview btw, it was nice to learn more about Nicolas Doucet and the creative process behind the game.

[@ThePlatinumBolt]

Well welcome to the party (hopefully!) - I've got similar interviews slated with some other developers tentatively scheduled to further expand on what I do over on the main channel. If you're into that sort of highly-researched behind the scenes development breakdown, that's what most of my longer-form content is over there, whether it's a game, series, or specific company.

[@Sneaky_racoon_sly]

Why is it not on the golden bolt? Would have reached more people

[@morgan-sk-4499]

So… when will we get new Ape escape game, or Knack 3 from Team Asobi? Just asking. I’m ready for it asap 😊

[@jorgemadrigalcalderon4860]

you meant Knack by any chance?

[@morgan-sk-4499]

@@jorgemadrigalcalderon4860 yeah, thanks :-) I was maybe too excited. I will correct it. I really wish to see Knack sometime in future…

[@StickyX999]

Knack is literally a meme i dont think people really care or like it at all plus the sales were godawful so

[@morgan-sk-4499]

@@StickyX999 I know. Shame… Knack 2 is good couch coop with kid/kids. I think Knack 2 was the first game I played with my son back then…

[@bobcharlotte8724]

PC version pleeeeeeease! I would gladly buy a Dual Sense just to play Astro Bot... But sorry, I wouldn't buy the price hiked ps5 for it

[@Victouse-w9b]

C'était intéressant d'entendre un américain ne pas insulter un français. Une bonne interview pour un bon jeu

[@nyfinest487]

Why didint we get squaresoft bots ????

[@uhmm3996]

Это мы смотрим

[@randybradley4151]

1:15 Microsoft trying their all to hold Sony down.

[@MrMisuma]

Please make something for the PSVR2 🙏🏻

[@yomamasohot6411]

If Sony was like Microsoft they would close the studio down after this

[@ABELITO-s2b]

VALINTENA DEATH

[@olsen3127]

Sony vs Nintendo 1:0