Team Asobi

Team Asobi is a developer.

Team Asobi Webpage, Facebook

A Japanese studio based in Tokyo, established in 2012. Initially, the team was a part of Japan Studio. At the turn of 2020/2021, they gained independence, becoming part of PlayStation Studios. The most important games created by Team Asobi include: Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, Astro's Playroom and Astro Bot.

Team Asobi's history

The Beginning and First Projects

Team Asobi's history dates back to 2012. The team began operating within Japan Studio, part of Sony Interactive Entertainment (formerly Sony Computer Entertainment). The team, led by Nicolas Doucet, initially focused on preparing tech demos. Since some members had previously worked on games for the EyeToy camera, their first major project was The Playroom, a game showcasing the capabilities of the DualShock 4 and PlayStation Camera. The PlayStation 4 title also received a special edition showcasing the potential of the PlayStation VR headset: The Playroom VR.

The Astro Bot era

The latter title featured a small robot named A5081, who would go down in history as the studio's most iconic character. It served as a forerunner of the Astro Bot: Rescue Mission character, released in 2018 for PlayStation 4 (or, more precisely, PlayStation VR). The title was a resounding artistic and commercial success, so when Sony needed a free game to showcase the capabilities of the DualSense controller, they chose Team Asobi, which developed Astro's Playroom, a game bundled with PlayStation 5.

At the turn of 2020 and 2021, Japan Studio underwent a major restructuring. As a result, Team Asobi became completely independent, becoming part of PlayStation Studios.

In 2024, Team Asobi delivered its most important project to date. We are talking about Astro Bot, a 3D platformer developed for PlayStation 5. The title was incredibly well-received by players and the media (as evidenced by its average rating on Metacritic, which is 94/100), and over time it received a number of industry awards, including the Game of the Year title at the 2024 Game Awards.