Team Asobi logo (since 2021)
Team Asobi is a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo. A first-party studio for Sony Interactive Entertainment, Team Asobi was originally formed in 2012 as part of Japan Studio, but formally spun off into an independent studio within Sony's PlayStation Studios in April 2021. It is best known for the Astro Bot series.
History[]
Team Asobi (then called "ASOBI! Team") was first formed in 2012 as an internal part of Japan Studio based in Tokyo by Nicolas Doucet. The team's name is derived from the Japanese word "Asobi", meaning "Play". After forming, they worked on technical demos and went on to develop The Playroom (2013), a pre-downloaded augmented reality game designed to demonstrate the use of the PlayStation Camera and DualShock 4 for the PlayStation 4. Doucet and several members of his team had been developers for games for the EyeToy and had brought their knowledge forward for use on The Playroom. Team Asobi also created a virtual reality sequel, The Playroom VR, to demonstrate the PlayStation VR unit with its release in 2016.
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First Team Asobi logo (2018-2021)
In 2018, Team Asobi developed their first full-length game, Astro Bot Rescue Mission. Due to popular demand and fan feedback of the mini game called "Robots Rescue" in The Playroom VR, Japan Studio decided to make a fully fleshed game based on the mini game. Astro Bot Rescue Mission was developed in 18 months by a team of 25 people. The game was well-received by critics and players alike, leading to the birth of a new series. A follow-up game, Astro's Playroom, would release in 2020 as pre-installed launch title for the PlayStation 5 to demonstrate the features of the DualSense controller.
Across late 2020 and early 2021, several staff members of Japan Studio, outside those of Team Asobi, announced their departure; Sony later affirmed that by April 2021, Japan Studio would be refocused around Team Asobi based on the success of Astro's Playroom. In June 2021, Sony announced that Team Asobi had been transitioned to a standalone studio within PlayStation Studios. Doucet remains Asobi's studio director and creative director following this transition.
At the May 2024 State of Play, a new game would be announced, titled simply "Astro Bot", which would then release on September 6th of that year. The game was well-received among players and critics alike and would win multiple awards, including Game of the Year at the 2024 The Game Awards show.
Games Developed[]
| Game | Release | Developer(s) | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Playroom | November 15th, 2013 (North America)
November 29th, 2013 (PAL) February 22nd, 2014 (Japan) |
Japan Studio (ASOBI! Team), Firesprite, Double Fine Productions | PlayStation 4 |
| The Playroom VR | October 13th, 2016 | Japan Studio (ASOBI! Team), Firesprite | PlayStation 4 (PSVR) |
| Astro Bot Rescue Mission | October 2nd, 2018 (Worldwide)
October 4th, 2018 (Japan) |
Japan Studio (Team ASOBI) | PlayStation 4 (PSVR) |
| Astro's Playroom | November 12th, 2020 | Japan Studio (Team ASOBI) | PlayStation 5 |
| Astro Bot | September 6th, 2024 | Team ASOBI | PlayStation 5 |