Ever since its launch back in February, the PlayStation VR2 has seen a curious drought of first-party titles, with only the humdrum Horizon: Call Of The Mountain gracing its software roster. A glaring omission, many have pointed out, is a sequel to the highly praised Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, a title often hailed as one of the best VR games to date.
In a fascinating turn of events, new trademark filings in both the United States and Europe suggest that the lovable bot may soon make a triumphant return, although details remain tantalizingly scant.
Astro Bot started as an obscure character in the free PlayStation 4 tech demo, The Playroom, but then morphed into a full-blown PlayStation icon with the advent of Astro Bot Rescue Mission for the first-generation PlayStation VR. But his fame skyrocketed with 'Astro's Playroom', a title packaged with the PlayStation 5. Given Astro Bot's evolution from the tech demo character to a first-party star, it's hardly surprising that Sony's Team ASOBI, now a full-fledged first-party developer, would want to expand upon the character's adventures.
The intrigue escalated when the eagle-eyed Gematsu noted that Sony had submitted multiple trademarks for Astro Bot, not necessarily linked to a specific title. These filings were backed up by further discoveries in the U.S. Trademark Office. It's the sort of coordinated legal maneuvering that typically precedes a significant announcement. Additionally, a recent presentation at the CEDEC 2023 developer conference included a slide showcasing Astro Bot as a VR game example, further stoking the fires of speculation.
