Astro Bot’s Iconic Sony Characters: The Story Behind the Missing Square Enix Cameos

Unlocking the Secrets of Astro Bot’s Character List

Team Asobi, the masterminds behind Astro Bot, recently shared some intriguing insights into the game’s character list. While the studio proudly showcased its iconic Sony characters, some notable absences stood out – Square Enix characters, to be specific. We delved into the story behind the missing cameos with Team Asobi’s studio head, Nicolas Doucet.

From Hope to Reality

In an interview with journalist Stephen Totilo, Doucet revealed that the team approached multiple publishers, hoping that around half of the requested characters would be greenlit. However, most partners enthusiastically agreed to participate, leaving the team with a surprisingly high success rate. “Almost 100% of our most-wishlisted iconic Sony characters made it into Astro Bot,” Doucet said.

The Missing Square Enix Characters

So, why didn’t we see any Square Enix characters, like Cloud from Final Fantasy VII or characters from Nier or Kingdom Hearts? Doucet remained tight-lipped, simply stating that the team “really respect[s] the choice of each publisher.” When asked about the specific reason for Square Enix’s reluctance, Doucet declined to comment, emphasizing the importance of respecting each publisher’s decision.

The Balance Between Familiarity and Obscurity

The team understood the delicate balance between including characters that most players would recognize and those that might be lesser-known. Doucet acknowledged that, at some point, the team was forced to consider characters that fewer people might remember. However, they wanted to include these characters because the players who knew them “may have the fondest memories.”

New Content on the Horizon

Sony and Team Asobi recently unveiled a free DLC add-on for Astro Bot, which includes five new online speedrunning levels and 10 new bots to rescue. Although not all the new bots have been revealed, we did get a glimpse of the bot-version of Stellar Blade’s Eve and a Helldiver from Helldivers 2.

Conclusion

Astro Bot’s character list may have had some surprising omissions, but Team Asobi’s dedication to creating a delightful platformer remains unwavering. As we eagerly await more information about the game’s upcoming DLC, we can’t help but appreciate the studio’s commitment to respecting each publisher’s decision and pushing the boundaries of what we can expect from a platformer.