PlayStation CEO Says the Company Aims to Focus More on Family-Friendly Games

When you think of PlayStation, titles like The Last of Us, Marvel's Spider-Man, Horizon Zero Dawn, or God of War might come to mind. However, Sony is now focusing more on family-friendly games, such as Astro Bot, according to PlayStation CEO Hermen Hulst.

In a conversation with Astro Bot creative director Nicolas 'Nico' Doucet on the official PlayStation Podcast, Hulst emphasized the importance of diversifying PlayStation Studios’ offerings, highlighting the family market as a key area of focus. "I think it's massively important that PlayStation Studios develops games in various genres, and the family market is really important for us to focus on," Hulst stated.

Astro Bot has become the highest-reviewed game of the year, reflecting its potential for the PlayStation brand. Hulst, who became joint-CEO of PlayStation earlier this year, is keenly aware of the game's significance. "Astro is very, very important to PlayStation," he said, noting that the pre-installed Astro's Playroom on the PS5 was widely embraced, providing a strong platform for this new release.

In addition, PlayStation will be releasing Lego Horizon Adventures for PC, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch this holiday season. This will be the first time the Horizon franchise, including the character Aloy, appears on a competing console, making it more accessible to younger audiences as it will avoid "devastating" and "heavy" themes.

Astro Bot launched on September 6, and Sony has also recently announced the PS5 Pro, priced at $700 and set for release in November.