The Oscars of video games, this year marked the tenth anniversary of The Game Awards. Held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, the awards take into account all aspects of video games released throughout the year, from audio design and art direction, to best independent debuts and standouts in genre. But as is the case every year, there can only be one winner of the coveted Game of the Year title, and this year the crown belongs to Sony Interactive Entertainment and their first-party studio, Tokyo-based Team Asobi, for their game, Astro Bot.
The Little Robot Underdog
If we’re talking sales numbers, Astro Bot was something of an underdog coming into this year’s Game Awards. Nominated alongside heavy hitters such as Chinese developer Game Science’s Black Myth: Wukong, which is today known as one of the fastest selling games of all time with 18 million copies sold within its first two weeks, and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, an expansion for Japanese studio FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, which sold 5 million units within just 3 days of release, Sony’s colorful platformer had its work cut out. In comparison, Astro Bot, a PlayStation 5 exclusive, sold just 1.5 million copies in its first two months. So, why did it win?
Why Did Astro Bot Win Game of the Year?
While we’re not privy to the decisions made behind the scenes of The Game Awards, I think Astro Bot’s success stems from its charm and accessibility. In a world where every video game is trying to look and feel more realistic than the next, Astro Bot instead went for a cute and eye-catching art style, paired with simple yet engaging platforming gameplay that speaks to the timeless formula of video games that many of us grew up playing. The main character, Astro Bot, is a loveable yet malleable little robot, who, via a series of powerups, can run, jump, float like a balloon and roll like a glob of goo through a variety of levels that include everything from subterranean tunnels to outer space. Players can also dress Astro Bot up, with the inclusion of ‘skins’ from other Sony franchises such as Kratos from God of War and Nathan Drake from Uncharted, which allows gamers to put their own spin on this little robot’s appearance.
A Clean Sweep for Sony
Prior to the announcement of Game of the Year, Sony’s Astro Bot also won a number of other categories, including Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Family Game, and Best Game Direction. An outcome that I believe speaks volumes about what video games, at their core, are all about. The gaming industry, especially in the realms of scale and graphical fidelity, is constantly innovating, blurring the boundaries between reality and fantasy more and more every year. Astro Bot, while possessing a clean, crisp art style, is far from realistic. It’s not a very big game either, taking around 11 hours to complete. But it’s got the main ingredients that every game strives for: It’s fun, original, and anyone from hardcore gamers to weekend warriors can pick it up and play it. It’s exactly what a great video game should be.
So, while it may not have been the favorite to win, I think Sony and their little robot protagonist are more than deserving of their flowers.
