Sony tried throughout the early years of PlayStation to desperately find a mascot for the brand. After all, SEGA had used Sonic the Hedgehog to sell their consoles before folding the hardware arm of the business; all while Nintendo used Mario, and still does, to shift a monumental number of games and hardware.
When Sony broke into consoles they were hoping to revolutionise the industry and they certainly did that with their disc-based console but, while the PlayStation would appeal to many gamers, the brand wanted an icon to help things along.
Enter Sony of North America who created Polygon Man, a god-awful monstrosity that was meant to be ‘edgy.’ The early mascot was quickly shelved after Global Head of PlayStation, Ken Kutaragi, believed it misrepresented the console and brand. Until the company could find another, they temporarily used the character Sofia fromBattle Arena Toshinden.
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Polygon Man - Sony Interactive Entertainment
In 1995, Ubisoft came along with Rayman who got the role temporarily with his initial platformer - big goofy grin, spiked hair, and fun to look at, Sony took on the character for a while. That is until Crash Bandicoot came along.
Here comes Sackboy, another attempt at landing a cute star for the PlayStation legacy. He was also perfect. He could be dressed up, do crossovers with other PlayStation games, and he had numerous worlds to explore. However, he was lacking something - while the Little Big Planet games were great, they required some creativity on the part of the player and Sackboy’s movement wasn’t up to the standards of Mario.
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Sackboy - Sony Interactive Entertainment
So, we get to 2024 andAstro Bot. Obviously, Astro has already had two outings before the most recent release. The first was the VR-only title which was brilliantly received but, of course, limited its audience with a focus on virtual reality.
However, Sony was shrewd. They tapped Team ASOBI to include Astro with every single PS5 console to be sold inAstro’s Playroom. While many cynical players could ignore the game, it was a genuinely delightful experience that really sold how good the PS5 is, right out of the box. With infectious happiness, bold colours, and direct information on what your console can do via interaction, they achieved something special, and little Astro was almost the company mascot, but the bot needed a full-fledged release.
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Astro - Sony Interactive Entertainment
Now we haveAstro Botand Sony finally has the mascot they’ve searched 30 years for, as long as they don’t fumble the bag. Astro actually is perfect for the role. He has modernity in the look but also retains a cuteness from his shape and the screen face that can display adorable emotes. Plus, he’s a versatile character who can, as we’ve seen, successfully crossover with other games while using myriad abilities through collectible power-ups that bolt onto him.
The only way this can go wrong is if Sony doesn’t treat Astro like a mascot and continues to use him as a gimmick. As much as I adoreAstro Bot, believing that it could very well be my personal Game of the Year, one could put on cynical airs and see the game as an advert for the PlayStation brand, rather than an Astro adventure. They’d be wrong, but the next game is the test. Will Sony insist on another game filled with crossovers, or let Team ASOBI run with a proper adventure that establishes a universe for Astro beyond the console itself? That would surely solidify his mascot status and keep him a mainstay for the consoles to come.
Topics:PlayStation,PlayStation 5,PlayStation 4,Sony
