The developer behind Astro Bot has a handbook for all new employees that contains the following phrase: “We aim for quality, not quantity.” Team Asobi studio director Nicolas Doucet showed off this slogan at a Game Developers Conference session last week, where he argued, “It’s okay to make a small game.”
GameDeveloper reports that Doucet shared how this approach helped Team Asobi thrive with Astro Bot, one of GameSpot’s 10 best games of 2024. Additionally, the 3D platformer has racked up nominations and awards at GDC and the DICE Awards. “The prospect of a game you can actually complete is a really, really positive argument [for small games],” Doucet said. “That meant being okay with the game being 12 hours, but if it had been eight hours–and the eight hours were fantastic–we would have settled for that to reach consistent quality.”
Astro Bot Ape Escape Level Gameplay
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Following a “less is more” approach helped Team Asobi keep Astro Bot from ballooning in all sorts of ways. For instance, Doucet reportedly told audience members that the game’s narrative has fewer than 5,000 words and cinematics top out at roughly 12-and-a-half minutes. This means players are in control over 98% of the time in Astro Bot.
Making smaller games could also help rein in budgets for developers. Earlier this year, Naughty Dog co-founder Andy Gavin stated that today’s big-budget games can cost $300-$500 million. This has led to people like former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden saying AAA game development is unsustainable.
Last month, Astro Bot got PS5 Pro support and five new levels that have rolled out weekly through this month, ending with Armored Hardcore on March 13. For more, check out GameSpot’s Astro Bot review.
