Astro Bot: Cut Content Revealed - Bird Flight Level and Headless Astro

Astro Bot fans might be familiar with the tale behind the creation of the sponge power-up, but did you know that Team Asobi, the developers, also experimented with even more whimsical powers, such as a coffee grinder and a roulette wheel? This fascinating tidbit came to light during IGN's coverage of GDC 2025, where Team Asobi's studio director, Nicolas Doucet, delivered a talk titled, "The Making of 'ASTRO BOT'". In his presentation, Doucet delved deep into the development process of the PlayStation mascot platformer, showcasing a variety of early prototype images and content that didn't make it into the final game.

Doucet kicked off his talk by discussing the initial pitch for Astro Bot, which was crafted in May 2021, shortly after Team Asobi started prototyping. He revealed that the pitch underwent 23 revisions before being presented to senior management. The pitch was uniquely delivered as an adorable comic strip, highlighting the core concepts and activities of the game. This approach evidently struck a chord.

A slide from Nicholas Doucet's GDC talk, The Making of 'ASTRO BOT', showing a comic book explanation of the game's pitch.

Next, Doucet explained the team's approach to generating ideas. It involved extensive brainstorming sessions conducted in small, interdisciplinary groups of 5-6 people. Each participant contributed ideas via sticky notes, resulting in a visually stunning brainstorming board.

Another slide from the talk, showing sticky note brainstorms from Team Asobi.

However, not all ideas progressed to the prototyping stage, with only about 10% of the brainstormed concepts being developed. Doucet emphasized the importance of prototyping, encouraging all team members, including those outside of game design, to bring their ideas to life. For instance, audio designers created a theater within Astro Bot to experiment with haptic controller vibrations linked to various sound effects.

Another slide from the talk, showing a sponge prototype alongside concept art of Astro Bot becoming a sponge.

Prototyping was crucial to Astro Bot's development, Doucet noted, with dedicated programmers focusing on non-platforming elements. This approach led to the creation of Astro Bot's sponge mechanic, which utilized the adaptive trigger for squeezing and became a beloved feature of the game.

Another slide from the talk showing various prototype activities that were made for Astro Bot.

Doucet shared an image of various prototypes, including those that made it into the game, like the balloon and sponge, alongside others that didn't, such as a tennis game, a wind-up toy, a roulette wheel, a coffee grinder, and more.

Later, Doucet discussed how levels were chosen and designed around specific mechanics. The goal was to ensure each level offered unique gameplay and didn't feel repetitive. While this didn't preclude using the same power-up across multiple levels, Doucet stressed that the execution had to be sufficiently different to maintain the level's distinctiveness. He cited an example of a cut level themed around bird flights, which was removed due to its similarity to the level Go-Go Archipelago and another level in Astro's Playroom that utilized a similar power.

"In the end, it was decided that the overlap was not healthy enough to create variety, and we just cut this level entirely," he said. "We'll never know if that level would have been popular. But in hindsight, I think it's a good thing that we got to spend that time elsewhere."

Another slide, showing a cut level from Astro Bot alongside two other implemented levels.

Finally, Doucet concluded his talk by discussing the game's final scene, which contains spoilers for those who haven't completed Astro Bot. In the original ending, players were presented with a dismembered Astro Bot, consisting only of a torso without limbs or a head. This concept was altered after feedback indicated it was too upsetting for some players, leading to the more intact version seen in the final game.

A clip from Doucet's presentation showing the original ending of Astro Bot.

Doucet's presentation at GDC 2025 offered numerous insights into the development of Astro Bot, a game that received a 9/10 in our review, lauded as "A fantastically inventive platformer in its own right, Astro Bot is particularly special for anyone with a place in their heart for PlayStation."