Sony has proudly announced that Astro Bot has reached an impressive milestone, with 1.5 million copies sold within just two months of its release. Given that it’s exclusively available on the PS5, this achievement is noteworthy for Team Asobi, the creative minds behind the game. While fans can look forward to more Astro Bot titles in the future, for now, the studio is busy crafting exciting post-launch content for the current platformer.
Since its debut, Astro Bot has charmed critics and players alike, setting the bar high with its critical and commercial success. When Astro Bot hit the market in September 2024, it was met with overwhelming praise. Critics showered it with an average score of 94% across 138 reviews, and fans were equally enthusiastic, giving it a 93% user score on Metacritic. This accolade makes Astro Bot the highest-rated new game release of 2024, a remarkable feat for Team Asobi’s first foray into a full-scale, non-VR console game.
Early reports indicated a strong sales trajectory for Astro Bot, outperforming many other 3D platformers over the past decade in regions like the UK, with only the iconic Mario series out ahead. In the US, it had a stellar opening week as the second best-selling title. Sony’s recent Q2 FY2025 earnings call confirmed that Astro Bot sold 1.5 million copies as of November 3, 2024, cementing its status as a commercial hit.
While 1.5 million copies might not initially seem groundbreaking, several key factors are worth noting. Most significantly, Astro Bot is a PS5 exclusive, meaning it can only reach the 65 million or so players who own the console. To put that into perspective, Sonic X Shadow Generations, which sold a million units on its first day, has a far larger potential audience as a cross-platform release. Additionally, Astro Bot was developed by a relatively small team of 65 people in under three years, pointing to a judicious development budget.
Astro Bot has rapidly gained prominence in recent years, especially as a fresh intellectual property (IP) for many PlayStation users. Apart from appearing in tech demos like The Playroom and the 2018 PS VR game Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, it was the PS5 pre-installed demo Astro’s Playroom that introduced many fans to the charming character. Given this context, Astro Bot represents Team Asobi’s first genuine attempt at a major console release—and they’ve clearly hit a home run.
As for what lies ahead, Team Asobi is likely to continue building on Astro Bot’s success. Currently, they are focused on delivering new post-launch content in the form of weekly speedrun levels, and there might be more surprises in store. Judging by Astro Bot’s development timeline, fans might not have to wait too long for Team Asobi’s next big adventure.
