ASTRO Bot is the recently released PlayStation exclusive that excited players with its fun and fast-paced gameplay.
Not only are there platforming planets to explore with unique themes and power-ups, but there are short challenging levels to overcome.
God of War is just one of the many games with characters in Astro Bot[/caption]
One of the most fun parts about Astro Bot is the hundreds of bots that you have to find and rescue, including over 150 characters from classic PlayStation games.
With characters like Crash Bandicoot, Solid Snake and Lara Croft, all of your favourite characters are here.
Or I should say almost all of your favourite characters, because games from one major publisher are noticeably missing.
People immediately noticed that popular characters like Cloud from Final Fantasy were missing, but other series like Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, Nier and Mana, are also missing.
It was soon obvious that Square Enix had refused to cooperate with Astro Bot’s Team Asobi, and so none of its characters are present.
People were asking about why Square Enix characters weren’t included in Astro Bot when so many games are such a huge part of PlayStation history.
In an interview with Game File, head of Team Asobi Nicolas Doucet spoke about the process of getting all the different cameo bots in Astro Bot.
Doucet reveals that when he approached publishers, he expected to receive a positive response from about half of them.
Instead, there was a hugely positive response, with most partners reportedly “raising their hands and saying ‘Absolutely!’”.
Doucet claims that “almost 100%” of those approached to be included did end up in the final game.
When asked about Square Enix characters specifically, though, Doucet doesn’t have much to say, but his comment confirms that the publisher was approached.
Doucet says: “It’s difficult to comment on. We really respect the choice of each publisher.”
By saying that Team Asobi respects the publisher’s choice it seems clear that Square Enix was approached, and turned down the offer to appear in Astro Bot.
Team Asobi may only know as much about Square Enix’s refusal to be included as we do.
More characters are coming in Astro Bot’s free DLC that will launch before the end of the year.
Eve from Stellar Blade and a Helldiver are confirmed to be included in the drop which will include 10 new cameos.
If you want to read more about the game, check out our Astro Bot review.
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