How the Asobi Team Created a Shared Vision of Fun – PlayStation.Blog

Astro Bot returned to PS5 with the highly anticipated release of his title game last week. Team Asobi, the PlayStation Studio behind Astro’s Playroom, has packed the little bot’s big new adventure with enough stages, upgrades, secrets, and fun to make any 3D platformer fan smile.

With the game’s release fresh in my mind, I visited Team Asobi’s studio to interview the development team about the studio’s history, development style, and their tribute to 30 years of PlayStation. Let’s dive in.

Art & Animation: It all starts with gameplay ideas

Left: Jamie Smith, Lead Animation Director, Team Asobi
Center: Sebastian Brueckner, Chief Artistic Director, Team Asobi
Right: Maki Murakami, Senior Animator, Team Asobi

PlayStation Blog: What do you focus on most when creating characters?

Jamie Smith: I pay special attention to “playfulness.” When creating animations, we model how children express joy, such as jumping up and down with excitement, to evoke joyful feelings in players. Children are full of action and emotion, and we try to infuse all of these essences into our character designs.

How do you decide which of these ideas get used in the game?

Sebastian Brueckner: First of all, everyone has to agree that these ideas will improve the gameplay. We don’t just choose ideas based on artistic aspects, but it all starts with gameplay ideas. As a team, we imagine a series of gameplay scenarios together and make decisions about the world and its details. For example, if the gameplay involves ice, we collaborate further on the idea and might suggest the sea as the world. Once the details are finalized, the art comes into play to improve the world.

Poppies Murakami: This brainstorming process is especially evident in new power-ups and upgrade designs for Astro. Handy-D is one example. The idea for this long-armed monkey was to help Astro climb. Then we explored ideas on how we could make it cuter and agreed on a design to be carried on Astro’s back. We create prototypes, then test and refine them together to crank up the fun factor to eleven.

Technology and programming: New features driven by passion for delivering new experiences

Left: Toshimasa Aoki, Senior General Manager of Products
Right: Masayuki Yamada, Lead Gameplay Programmer, Asobi Team

Tell us about the unique modeling techniques used by Team Asobi.

Masayuki Yamada: Gameplay programmers start by creating primitive models based on the designers’ specifications and playtest them. Once we verify that the models are actually fun, artists step in to elevate the experience. Our team process is different from others in the sense that we first define what makes gameplay fun, and then further enhance that aspect of the game.

As a hardware creator, how do you feel about the possibility of the DualSense controller transforming into a character and appearing in the game as a Dual Speeder?

Toshimasa Aoki: I was honestly excited to see the controller I helped create in the game. Before Astro Bot, controllers were only in the spotlight in the User Manual. But look at them now, flying around the game as 3D characters, reacting to your every move and action. What better way to showcase the hardware than this?

The Asobi team’s work also provides a great platform to promote new PlayStation technologies, such as PlayStation VR and the DualSense controller. Is there anything your team is focusing on to bring these new, unique features to players?

Toshimasa: We introduce new features because we want to create new experiences for our players. Our close cooperation with Team Asobi allows us to test prototypes at an early stage of development. When we see smiles or hear giggles from the team, it’s a sign that we’ve created something new, and these reactions are a testament to the motivation behind our work.

An action-packed game with 30 years of PlayStation history

Nicolas Doucet, Studio Head, Team Asobi

What do you think is the unique strength of Team Asobi studio and what sets it apart from others?

Nicolas Doucet: Our strengths are ideas and speed. Innovation is a key aspect of Sony’s DNA, and achieving innovation requires testing a lot of ideas. Ideas and speed are inseparable when it comes to quickly identifying what works. And that’s where Team Asobi shines. Everyone on the team is always eager, inspired and motivated to create something new.

What kind of experience do you expect from players when they play Astro Bot?

Doucet: For gaming veterans, we hope to deliver a fun platform action game and a sense of nostalgia as the title is full of homages to 30 years of PlayStation history. I hope that with cameos like PaRappa, players will feel a wave of joy and nostalgia when they meet these familiar faces.

I also feel a deep sense of responsibility to new players, especially very young players who are about to embark on their first gaming adventure. I vividly remember the first time I played a video game—it was incredibly fun and left a lasting impression on me. If Astro Bot becomes someone’s first video game and evokes the same joy and excitement I felt, I would be personally thrilled.

What are the unique benefits of being part of PlayStation Studios? And how do you collaborate with other PlayStation Studios?

Doucet: Because this title is so much of PlayStation history, we worked closely with all of the PlayStation Studios. When we shared our concept with the studio heads and game creators, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Initially, I thought we could only show about 50 characters out of the 150 we wanted to show. But to our greatest surprise, the studios unanimously agreed to have cameos from all 150 characters. In addition to our PlayStation Studios, we were also fortunate to work with third-party publishers.

What message do you have for players eagerly awaiting the release of Astro Bot?Doucet: We spent three years creating Astro Bot for both long-time PlayStation fans and new players, so take your time and enjoy every nook and cranny of the game. We’ve also hidden many secrets and surprises, so have fun exploring and discovering them!