Astro Bot fans are well-acquainted with the iconic sponge power-up, but did you know that Team Asobi also experimented with even more outlandish ideas during development? IGN's coverage of GDC 2025 revealed that the team behind the beloved PlayStation mascot platformer, led by studio director Nicolas Doucet, showcased a variety of wild prototypes, including a coffee grinder and a roulette wheel.
During his talk titled "The Making of 'ASTRO BOT'" at GDC 2025, Doucet provided a deep dive into the game's creation process, sharing early prototype images and insights into content that didn't make the final cut. He started by discussing the initial pitch for Astro Bot, which was crafted in May 2021, shortly after Team Asobi began prototyping. The pitch underwent 23 revisions before being presented to top management in the form of an adorable comic strip that highlighted the game's main pillars and activities. This approach evidently struck a chord.
A slide from Nicholas Doucet's GDC talk, "The Making of 'ASTRO BOT'", showcasing a comic book-style pitch for the game.
Doucet explained the team's idea generation process, which involved extensive brainstorming sessions. Small groups of 5-6 people from various disciplines collaborated, jotting down ideas on sticky notes, resulting in a visually stunning brainstorming board. However, not all ideas progressed to prototyping; only about 10% made the cut, but that still amounted to a significant number of prototypes.
Another slide from the talk, displaying the brainstorming process with sticky notes at Team Asobi.
Doucet emphasized the importance of prototyping across all departments, not just game design. For instance, audio designers created a theater within Astro Bot to experiment with haptic controller vibrations synchronized with sound effects, such as the varied sounds of a door opening and closing. Prototyping was so integral to the development process that certain programmers were dedicated to testing concepts unrelated to platforming, leading to the creation of Astro Bot's sponge mechanic. The sponge, which players could squeeze using the adaptive trigger, was both fun and functional, securing its place in the game.
A slide from the talk, featuring a sponge prototype and concept art of Astro Bot transforming into a sponge.
Doucet showcased various prototypes that were developed but ultimately not incorporated into Astro Bot, including a balloon, a tennis game, a walking wind-up toy, and the aforementioned coffee grinder and roulette wheel.
A slide from the talk, highlighting different prototype activities created for Astro Bot.
The talk also covered level design, with Doucet explaining that each level was crafted to offer unique gameplay experiences, avoiding repetition. While the same power-up might appear in multiple levels, its application needed to be distinct enough to maintain variety. He cited a cut level themed around bird flights that was deemed too similar to existing levels using the monkey power-up, leading to its removal to enhance the game's overall diversity.
A slide showing a cut level from Astro Bot alongside two other implemented levels.
**Spoiler Alert:** In discussing the game's final scene, Doucet revealed that the original ending involved players reassembling a completely dismembered Astro Bot. This approach was met with strong negative feedback, prompting the team to opt for a less distressing version where Astro Bot is slightly more intact.
A clip from Doucet's presentation, showing the original ending concept for Astro Bot.
Doucet's talk at GDC 2025 offered a treasure trove of insights into the development of Astro Bot, a game that IGN praised with a 9/10 score, calling it "A fantastically inventive platformer in its own right, Astro Bot is particularly special for anyone with a place in their heart for PlayStation."
