Undoubtedly, one of the defining stories of 2024 will be the state of the gaming industry and the numerous developers and publishers that have made terrible decisions and hurt gamers and workers alike. It’s not great out there, and with more layoff stories coming in almost every week, it’s hard to find truly praiseworthy things. Thankfully, it’s award season in the gaming world, which means some people are getting the praise they deserve for their talented creations. That includes the team behind Astro Bot, Team Asobi, who got a key honor at this year’s Golden Joystick Awards.
As noted by GamesRadar, Team Asobi got “Studio of the Year,” beating out some stiff competition from other key developers/publishers like Capcom, Arrowhead Game Studios, and more. If you’re thinking, “Well, that’s a surprise!” you haven’t been paying attention.
Astro Bot came almost out of nowhere during a May State of Play event and completely salvaged the event single-handedly, especially considering what ELSE was shown in that showcase that Sony would regret. Anyway, many immediately thought it looked like an incredibly fun and adorable game.
Fast forward to its release a few months back, and the game took the internet by storm with its charm, gameplay, references to various PlayStation games and franchises from the past, and just the overall wonder that was put in it. Astro’s title was so good that it was compared to Mario’s franchise, stating that it was the best 3D platform “not from Mario,” which is quite an honor.
Just as important, Team Asobi hasn’t been resting on its laurels. Instead, the team has been providing free speed run levels over the last month so that gamers can enjoy the title even further and put their skills to the test. To put a capper on this team’s success, the game even got nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards.
To be fair, the game hasn’t been an unmitigated success, as its sales haven’t been as big as you would expect from a title getting all of these accolades. Per Sony, it’s only sold about 1.5 million in about two months, which is not the ‘booming success’ that the PS5 needs right now.
Even still, the game shows that a smaller title can do wonders and charm the gaming base. Team Asobi deserved this award, and the team deserves many more awards going forward. You hear that, Geoff Keighley?
