How Team Asobi Created a Unified Vision for Fun – PlayStation.Blog

Astronomical Robot made its long-awaited return to PS5 with the release of the game of the same name last week. Team Asobi, the PlayStation Studio behind Astro’s Playroom, has brought the little bot’s massive new adventure to life with enough levels, powers, secrets, and fun to make any 3D platforming fan smile.

With the game’s release date still fresh in my mind, I headed to the Team Asobi studio to interview the development team about the game’s history, development style, and celebrating 30 years of PlayStation. Let’s dig in.

Art & Animation: It all starts with a game idea

Left: Jamie Smith, Lead Animation Director, Asobi Group
Center: Sebastian Brueckner, Chief Art Director, Asobi Group
Right: Maki Murakami, senior animator, Asobi group

PlayStation Blog: What do you prioritize when creating a character?

Jamie Smith: I pay a lot of attention to “playfulness”. When animating, we mimic the way children express joy, such as jumping up and down in excitement, to evoke feelings of joy in the player. Children are full of action and emotion, and we try to convey all of these essences into our character designs.

How do you decide which of these ideas will be included in the game?

Sebastian Brueckner: First, everyone has to agree that these ideas will enhance the gameplay. We don’t choose ideas based solely on the art aspect, everything starts with the gameplay idea. As a team, we envision a range of gameplay scenarios and make decisions about the world and its details. For example, if the gameplay involves ice, we will continue to collaborate on the idea and may suggest the ocean as the world setting. Once the details are finalized, the art will be brought in to refine the world.

Maki Murakami: This brainstorming process is especially evident in Astro’s new power-ups and enhancements. Handy-D is an example. The idea behind this long-armed monkey was to help Astro climb. We then explored ideas on how we could make it cuter and settled on a design that would be carried on Astro’s back. We created prototypes, then playtested and refined them together to turn the fun level up to eleven.

Technology & Programming: New features come from passion to bring new experiences

Left: Toshimasa Aoki, Senior Product Manager
Right: Masayuki Yamada, Lead Game Programmer, Asobi Group

Tell us about Team Asobi’s unique modeling technique.

Masayuki Yamada: Game developers start by creating primitive models based on the specifications provided by the designers and testing the game against them. Once we verify the models are really interesting, artists come in to enhance the experience. Our team process is different from others in that we first identify what makes the game interesting and then amplify that aspect of the game further.

As a hardware developer, how do you feel about the DualSense controller turning into a character and appearing in games as the Dual Speeder?

Toshimasa Aoki: I’m really excited to see the controllers I helped create showcased in the game. Before Astro Bot, controllers were only mentioned in the User’s Guide. But look at them now, flying around the game like 3D characters, reacting to every movement and action. What better way to showcase the hardware than this?

Team Asobi’s work is also a great platform to highlight new PlayStation technologies, like PlayStation VR and the DualSense controller. What is your team focusing on to bring these new, unique features to players?

Toshimasa: We introduce new features because we want to create new experiences for players. Our close collaboration with Team Asobi allows us to test prototypes early in the development process. When we see smiles or hear giggles from the team, it is a sign that we have successfully created something new, and those reactions are a testament to the motivation behind our work.

A game filled with exciting action and 30 years of PlayStation history

Nicolas Doucet, Studio Head, Asobi Group

What do you think is Team Asobi’s unique strength that sets this studio 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 many ideas. Ideas and speed are inseparable when it comes to quickly identifying what works. And that’s what Team Asobi does so well. Everyone on the team is always eager, inspired and motivated to create something new.

What kind of experience do you want players to have when playing Astro Bot?

Doucet: For veteran gamers, we hope to bring them the joy of action platforming and a sense of nostalgia, as the title is filled with tributes to 30 years of PlayStation history. With cameos like PaRappa, I hope players will feel a wave of joy and nostalgia when meeting these familiar faces.

I also feel a deep sense of responsibility towards new players, especially very young gamers who are about to embark on their first gaming adventure. I remember very clearly the first time I played a video game – it was incredibly fun and left a lasting impression on me. If Astro Bot is someone’s first video game and evokes the same joy and excitement that I felt, then I will personally be delighted.

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

Doucet: Because this game is steeped in PlayStation history, we worked closely with all of the PlayStation Studios. When we shared our ideas with the studio directors and game creators, their response was overwhelmingly positive. Initially, I thought we could only feature about 50 of the 150 characters we wanted to feature. But what surprised us the most was that the studios unanimously agreed to let all 150 characters make brief appearances. In addition to PlayStation Studios, we were also fortunate to work with third-party publishers.

Do you have any words for players who are eagerly awaiting the release of Astro Bot?Doucet: We spent three years creating Astro Bot for both longtime 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 all!