Astro Bot developer Team Asobi is focused on taking advantage of PS5 features, and doesn’t worry about them working on other platforms like PC.
During an interview with The Game Business (via Twitter/X user Genki_JPN), Astro Bot director Nicolas Doucet explained why Team Asobi remains focused on leveraging every aspect of the PS5 hardware rather than worrying about how their games might translate to other platforms like PC. When asked whether PlayStation’s growing PC presence makes developers more cautious about using PS5-specific features, Doucet confirmed this isn’t the case for his studio. “We really focus on PS5. We want to take full advantage of the DualSense and SSD. There is always a way to cross bridges if we ever need it. But really, the main focus is on the PlayStation console.”
Doucet also pointed out the key advantage of developing exclusively for PlayStation hardware. “It’s specific hardware that is absolutely set. You know that what you see in your office making the game, is definitely what people will see in their home playing the game. That allows us to focus, because you’re not putting in time dealing with compatibility or permutations. It’s why I’ve always liked consoles. [In the past] PC permutations were much greater than they are today. Compatibility used to be a real nightmare. Today, it’s more unified. But I’ve always preferred to be on the console side, because it’s all about just plug and play.”
As a first-party PlayStation studio, Team Asobi feels a responsibility to highlight what the platform can do, but not at the expense of player enjoyment. He wants PlayStation to stand out, and for it to have a differentiator. Still, Doucet clarified that innovation should never come at the expense of fun. “There is a time and a place to do it. Sometimes, if you do too much of it, the game might feel gimmicky or forced.”
Doucet further mentioned that the design philosophies for Astro’s Playroom and Astro Bot were slightly different. “Astro’s Playroom was a showcase game that was supposed to show all the cool things that the controller can do. We really used every single feature. But when we made Astro Bot, we took a different philosophy. We thought we are only going to [include a feature] when it’s really adding to the experience. We continued being innovative, but we were never going to do it at the expense of the core game.”
