Shuhei Yoshida played a crucial role in the creation and growth of Team Asobi, the studio behind Astro Bot. Nicolas Doucet, the head of Team Asobi, has credited Yoshida with enabling his transition to Japan Studio. Doucet revealed that he bypassed traditional management channels and directly emailed Yoshida to request a move from PlayStation London Studio to Japan Studio. Yoshida approved the request immediately, allowing Doucet to relocate and eventually establish Team Asobi. Over the years, Yoshida remained a strong supporter of the studio, helping it transition from a research and development team to an award-winning game development studio.
Team Asobi was founded in 2012 as an internal division of Japan Studio, based in Tokyo, with Nicolas Doucet leading the team. The studio’s name, Asobi—which means “play” in Japanese—reflects its focus on creating innovative and interactive gaming experiences. Initially, the team developed technical demonstrations before launching The Playroom, a pre-installed augmented reality game for PlayStation 4 that showcased the capabilities of the PlayStation Camera and DualShock 4 controller. Leveraging their experience with Sony’s EyeToy technology, Doucet and his team expanded their work into virtual reality with The Playroom VR, designed to highlight the features of the PlayStation VR headset.
A significant milestone for the team was the creation of a small robotic character initially named “A5081,” whose visual design resembled the word “ASOBI.” This character eventually became Astro Bot, the central figure in the studio’s later titles. The studio went on to develop Astro Bot Rescue Mission, a well-received PlayStation VR title, followed by Astro’s Playroom, which was pre-installed on PlayStation 5 consoles and served as both a platforming experience and a showcase of the new hardware’s features. The most significant achievement came in 2024 with the release of Astro Bot, a fully realized 3D platformer that received widespread critical acclaim and multiple Game of the Year awards.
Between late 2020 and early 2021, Japan Studio underwent significant restructuring, resulting in the departure of many staff members who were not part of Team Asobi. Sony Interactive Entertainment announced in April 2021 that Japan Studio would be reorganized around Team Asobi, citing the success of Astro’s Playroom as a key factor in the decision. By June 2021, Team Asobi had officially become an independent studio under PlayStation Studios, with Doucet continuing to serve as both studio director and creative director. This restructuring allowed Team Asobi to focus entirely on its unique brand of platforming and innovation, further cementing its role as one of PlayStation’s premier development teams.
