Sony leaves Japan Studio to focus on Astro’s Playroom team

Sony has confirmed that Japan Studio, its Tokyo-based in-house video game developer, will essentially relax and refocus around a single team. In a statement to IGN, Japan Studio said that from April 1 it will be “refocused on Team Asobi, the creative team behind Astro Games Room, allowing the team to focus on a single vision and build on the popularity of Astro Games Room. In other words, get ready for more Astro Games.

Astro Games Room is a well-received title that comes with every PlayStation 5 console. It’s a 3D platform game designed to show the advanced haptic feedback of the new DualSense controller. Before that, the same team developed Astro Bot: rescue mission, widely regarded as the exclusive PlayStation VR title.

VGC previously reported today that the “vast majority” of Japan Studio staff have been laid off because Sony has refused to renew their annual contracts, which run until the end of the fiscal year on March 31. Some of the staff have reportedly been reassigned to the Asobi team, while others are said to join Bokeh, a new studio founded by silent Hill and Gravity rush director Keiichiro Toyama.

While Team Asobi’s work to date is acclaimed, Japan Studio has been an important part of Sony’s PlayStation development efforts for decades. He created series like Monkey escape, Patapon, and LocoRoco, while helping to develop titles like Bloodborne and The Last Guardian. Before leaving last year, Toyama ran a division that was responsible for Mermaid and Gravity rush Games.