Team Asobi’s Platformer Astro Bot Wins Game of the Year at 2024 Game Awards
At the highly anticipated Game Awards presentation, Team Asobi’s hit 3D platformer Astro Bot was announced as the winner of the coveted 2024 Game of the Year award. Released on September 6, Astro Bot is one of the best-selling PlayStation 5 games, with over 1.5 million units sold as of November. With this award, Astro Bot joins the ranks of other 2020’s Game of the Year winners like Baldur’s Gate 3, Elden Ring, It Takes Two, and The Last of Us Part II.
Despite this being the first game titled simply Astro Bot, the character of Astro Bot has been a part of the Sony brand since 2013. The little robot’s early design was present in The Playroom, released for PlayStation 4, and the robot mascot would later appear in Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Astro’s Playroom as well. While all these experiences acted more as Sony tech demos than fully fleshed-out games, Astro Bot broke the mold and gave players a full-length platforming experience that has been lauded by fans and critics alike.
The win is even more impressive when its competition is taken into consideration. The other nominees included the hard-hitters Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Metaphor: ReFantazio. All of these games were critically acclaimed and top-selling titles. To reign supreme over not only these games but the countless other titles released this year is truly a commendable achievement for Team Asobi.
This was not the game’s only nomination as Astro Bot also took home awards for Best Game Direction, Best Action/Adventure Game, and Best Family Game, while also being nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, and Best Audio Design. Even with these awards, Astro Bot’s story is far from over as Team Asobi is still releasing updates to the platforming title. On December 12th, a free DLC level with a Christmas theme was added to the game as a surprise. Astro Bot’s Winter Wonder features a brand new level and new bots to add to your game. Although it may be their last addition for the year, Team Asobi has promised new updates in the future, meaning that Astro Bot will continue to grow and evolve even as a Game of the Year victor.
Although the 3D platformer genre has been less prevalent in recent Game of the Year conversations, Astro Bot is a prime example of why the genre will never truly fade away. It’s not a 60-hour RPG or a complex fighting game, but Astro Bot’s charming aesthetics and creative level design still managed to captivate the gaming world. This victory is a testament to the fact that inventive gameplay and challenging jumping puzzles will always have a place in the hearts of gamers, and as the developers of Team Asobi paid tribute to Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. titles during their acceptance speech, it’s apparent that they still have a place in the hearts of game developers as well.