PlayStation finally has a worthy mascot, shame it took 30 years
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 from Battle Arena Toshinden.
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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.
Crash was perfect. Anthropomorphised animal, made silly noises, had cool abilities that kids loved, and could (and would) be joined by other bandicoots expanding the potential for games and merchandise. All was going well, but eventually, the bandicoot jumped exclusivity and can now be experienced on Xbox and Nintendo platforms.
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.
Sackboy sadly didn’t get a good run at things until Sackboy: A Big Adventure came along for PS5 and by then he proved he couldn’t sell consoles or capture imaginations as he once did. Platformers, the genre in which mascots usually start out, were being developed by many more companies and bringing with them new mechanics and features.
So, we get to 2024 and Astro 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 in Astro’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.
Now we have Astro Bot and 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 adore Astro 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