Astro Bot fans are well acquainted with the story behind the sponge power-up, but did you know that developer Team Asobi also experimented with even quirkier ideas like a coffee grinder and a roulette wheel? This fascinating insight came to light during IGN's coverage of GDC 2025, where Team Asobi's studio director, Nicolas Doucet, delivered a talk titled "The Making of 'ASTRO BOT'". In his presentation, Doucet delved deep into the creative journey of crafting the PlayStation mascot platformer, showcasing early prototype images and revealing cut content that never made it to the final game.
Doucet kicked off his talk by revisiting the initial pitch for Astro Bot, which was drafted in May 2021, shortly after Team Asobi began its prototyping phase. He revealed that the pitch went through 23 revisions before being presented to top management. The pitch was creatively conveyed through an adorable comic strip that highlighted the game's main pillars and activities, which evidently resonated well with the audience.
He then explained the team's approach to generating ideas, which involved extensive brainstorming sessions. Team Asobi organized small groups of 5-6 individuals from various disciplines, who then wrote or drew their ideas on sticky notes. This collaborative method resulted in a visually stunning brainstorming board:
Doucet noted that not all ideas progressed to the prototyping stage; in fact, only about 10% of their brainstorming sessions resulted in prototypes. However, this still amounted to a substantial amount of prototyping. He emphasized the importance of prototyping across all departments, including an example where audio designers created a theater within Astro Bot to experiment with haptic controller vibrations linked to different sound effects, such as the various ways a door could open and close.
Doucet highlighted the significance of prototyping by sharing how a few dedicated programmers focused on non-platforming elements, which led to the development of Astro Bot's sponge mechanic. This feature, which involved squeezing the sponge using the adaptive trigger, was fun and thus integrated into the game.
The talk also included images of various prototypes that were developed but not included in the final game. These ranged from a tennis game to a walking wind-up toy, a roulette wheel, a coffee grinder, and more.
Doucet further discussed the selection and design of levels around specific mechanics. He emphasized the goal of ensuring each level offered unique gameplay and avoided repetition. Although the same power-ups could be used across multiple levels, their implementation had to be distinct enough to maintain each level's uniqueness. He illustrated this with examples of cut levels, such as one themed around bird flights, which was omitted due to its similarity to the existing level, Go-Go Archipelago, and another in Astro's Playroom with a similar power.
Concluding his talk, Doucet touched on the game's final scene, issuing a spoiler warning for those who have not yet completed Astro Bot. In the game's ending, players reassemble a broken Astro Bot with help from other bots. Initially, the concept was to present a completely dismembered Astro Bot, but this was altered after feedback indicated it was too distressing for some players.
Doucet's talk was packed with additional insights and anecdotes about the development of Astro Bot, a game that IGN rated 9/10, praising it as "A fantastically inventive platformer in its own right, Astro Bot is particularly special for anyone with a place in their heart for PlayStation."
