10 VR Games That Revived Awesome Game Studios Back
2. Astro Bot Rescue Mission
Game Studio: Sony Japan
Sporting the moniker of Sony's first in-house PlayStation studio ever. Bragging rights have not excused an uneven (if colorful) backlog.
Starting strong in 1999 with peak PS1 titles, Ape Escape and Legend Of Dragoon. The oddly opaque studio grew less focused over the years, as they got sidetracked by weird niche games that didn't sell.
Japan became better known for supporting collaborations (e.g. Bloodborne, Demon Souls with From Software) or their in-house studios within Japan Studio - namely Team Siren (Gravity Rush) and Team Ico (Shadow Of The Colossus)...which are now both defunct.
A regime change in 2012 attempted to revitalize things but only resulted in a few low-key gems (Puppeteer, Tokyo Jungle, Rain) and an embarrassing attempt at a Triple-A mascot (the Knack series).
Then change emerged from a throwaway level in The Playroom VR tech demo, of all places. Due to fan reaction to the AR Bots segment, the concept was expanded into Astro Bot: Rescue Mission.
The result is a colorful, inventive, endlessly fun 3D platformer that gives Mario a run for its money...all done in VR!
It reignited a steadfast purpose within SIE Japan, with the game's creative lead, Nicolas Doucet, now promoted to the new head of the studio.