Astro’s Playroom studio is working on a ‘new 3D action game’

The studio responsible for Astro’s Playroom is now working on a new 3D action game.

A Team Asobi job listing on LinkedIn shows the studio is looking for a game designer who will specialise in making “a variety of levels for a 3D action game”.

The ad says applicants must have “solid level design skills that guide the player well and provide great tempo”, and that they must be able to “bring creativity and humour to the game”.

The ad does not explicitly say that the game in question is a sequel to Astro’s Playroom, but Team Asobi’s four games to date – The Playroom, The Playroom VR, Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Astro’s Playroom – have all featured robot characters like Astro.

In December, Astro’s Playroom designer Nicolas Ducet said he would consider a sequel to Astro’s Playroom, but that there were no plans at that point and much would depend on the popularity of the game.

Astro’s Playroom is pre-installed in every PlayStation 5 console and has received near-universal praise for its charming presentation, its numerous nods to previous PlayStation products and the innovative ways it makes use of the DualSense controller.

In VGC’s review of Astro’s Playroom, we said: “Astro’s Playroom is both DualSense’s killer app and an unmissable, imaginative tribute to PlayStation’s history. Games have never felt this satisfying.”

Further reading

Review: Astro’s Playroom is an unmissable tribute to PlayStation’s history

The PS5 pack-in is both an impressive DualSense showcase and a wonderful trip through Sony's past

VGC sources revealed in February that Sony was planning to wind down its Japan Studio, with the majority of its development staff being let go and the remaining staff being absorbed into Team Asobi.

Sony later confirmed this in a statement, saying: “In an effort to further strengthen business operations, SIE can confirm PlayStation Studios Japan Studio will be re-organized into a new organization on April 1.

“Japan Studio will be re-centered to Team ASOBI, the creative team behind Astro’s Playroom, allowing the team to focus on a single vision and build on the popularity of Astro’s Playroom.”