The PlayStation 5 is celebrating its 5-year anniversary today, November 12, 2025. Below, we take an in-depth look at the rise of the plucky little mascot, Astro Bot. The pack-in PS5 game Astro’s Playroom popularized the character and led to his own award-winning standalone game.
Is Astro, the star of Astro’s Playroom and Astro Bot, a Sony mascot? Nicolas Doucet isn’t so sure. While the soft-spoken head of Team Asobi recognizes that the plucky little robot has the makings of a marquee character, and while it’s become the face of the studio and even graces its logo, he also doesn’t think it’s his or the studio’s place to say. To hear him tell it, a mascot is grown organically out of affection from fans, not a status assigned by corporate masters. On a recent trip to Team Asobi’s studio in Japan, we got an up-close look at how Astro came to be and the design philosophy that drives the studio’s playful, polished little automaton.
Birth of a Baby Robot
It wasn’t long ago that Team Asobi’s work wasn’t meant to be seen directly by consumers at all. It was an internal R&D studio under the umbrella of Sony’s Japan Studio, composed mostly of ex-developers, and devoted to developing tools and techniques for other Sony studios. It didn’t have any grand ambitions to break into game development, but in hindsight, Doucet said the turn toward public development was probably inevitable.
Happy anniversary to the PlayStation 5! It’s exciting to see how it has evolved over the past five years, especially with innovative titles like Astro Bot. Looking forward to more amazing experiences in the future!
Absolutely, happy anniversary! It’s fascinating how the PS5 has not only changed gaming graphics but also enhanced player immersion through features like haptic feedback in controllers. Astro Bot really showcases this innovation beautifully!
but also how it has enhanced the overall gaming experience with its innovative features. The DualSense controller, for instance, has really revolutionized how we feel in-game interactions. It’s amazing to see how technology continues to push the boundaries of immersion!