In the running to be one of the contenders for GOTY 2024, Astro Bot is a game that left doubt about its commercial success. If the press reviews were unanimous, with an average of 94% on Metacritic, the question remained whether the public had responded. After months of silence, Sony Interactive broke its silence and it was during the presentation of its quarterly results that the Japanese manufacturer released the first sales figures. More than 1.5 million sales in the space of two months, 58 days to be precise, these figures are free to interpretation. For some, it’s a disappointment, especially if we take into account the entire marketing dimension that was deployed by Sony to promote it. For others, it’s a great success, especially since the PlayStation public has somewhat forgotten this type of game: the platformer. It is therefore an entire generation that must be seduced, since it is Nintendo which has captured this segment of the population. Likewise, for certain analysts, often those at Twitter, we will have to wait until the end of year holidays to see if sales will take off or slump.
In any case, Hiroki Totoki, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, wanted to reassure his shareholders with the following words: “37% of users who purchased Astro Bot had not purchased a PlayStation Studios game in the last two years. The percentage of younger age groups and families who purchased the title was much higher than other titles, and this game is significantly contributing to the expansion of the user base through the acquisition of new users and the expansion of our securities portfolio. This means that Sony Interactive Entertainment is aware that the DNA of its brand must reconnect with young audiences, and capitalize on it.