Astro Bot Highlights PlayStation’s Unused Game Potential, as Company Boss Considers Reviving “Past IPs”

Astro Bot has truly stolen the show this year, emerging as one of the standout games and offering a fresh reminder of the fantastic intellectual properties PlayStation holds in its vault. It’s exciting to think we might see some of these classics make a comeback.

This year at The Game Awards, Astro Bot claimed the prestigious Game of the Year title, and it’s easy to see why. The game lovingly showcases a range of beloved PlayStation titles that fans have been pining for, yet haven’t seen any sequels or updates in quite some time. Characters like Spyro and Crash have transitioned into Xbox territory, so they’re out of PlayStation’s direct control. On the bright side, titles like Okami, which is a third-party classic, are getting sequels, much to fans’ delight. It’s the hidden gems such as Ape Escape, Gravity Rush, and Bloodborne that could really use a revival.

While there hasn’t been any official announcements regarding new entries for these games, there’s a glimmer of hope. Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation, disclosed some promising news. In an interview with Famitsu, translated by VGC, Hulst noted that PlayStation is actively exploring ways to breathe life into their older franchises. He stressed the value of their existing IPs, mentioning, “The various IPs that we own are an important asset to PlayStation, and as part of our efforts to strengthen our portfolio, we are continually looking at opportunities to leverage past IP, as well as develop new franchises.”

Of course, we’re all hoping these classic games don’t get reduced to cheap gimmicks, like turning Ape Escape into a gacha game, even if that idea sounds oddly intriguing. Sony seems to be heavily focusing on live-service models, despite some hiccups along the way. But, fingers crossed, we’ll at least get a Bloodborne remaster, right? Come on, Sony, throw us a bone here!