Astro Bot sold better than Concord in just two days, but physical sales in the UK were not very high.

It seems that Astro Bot, the highly anticipated PS5 exclusive from Sony, hasn't had the blockbuster launch that many were hoping for. While it managed to beat out Concord's worldwide sales in just two days in the UK, it still falls short when compared to other successful Sony exclusives like God of War and Spider-Man 2.

But this shouldn't come as a surprise, considering the nature of the game and its lovable robot protagonist. In fact, Sony doesn't even consider Astro Bot a major title on their PS5 release slate. However, what is surprising is that despite receiving better reviews, Astro Bot seems to be struggling behind fellow PS5 exclusive platformer Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart in terms of sales.

According to GamesIndustry.biz's Christopher Dring, Astro Bot's physical sales in its first week in the UK are about a third lower than Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. But Dring also predicts that Astro Bot will have a more consistent and long-term sales performance. In a disappointing comparison, he also notes that Astro Bot sold more copies in the UK in just two days than Concord did worldwide. As a result, Sony shut down Concord just one week after its launch due to low player numbers.

However, it's important to keep in mind that these sales figures only apply to physical copies in the UK, which is just a small portion of the overall picture. Still, it gives us an idea of how Astro Bot is faring compared to other popular PlayStation franchises. As a single-player, family-friendly game, it's likely that Astro Bot's percentage of physical sales is higher than that of an online shooter like Concord.

Despite its relatively weaker launch, Astro Bot managed to top the UK retail charts for the week ending September 7, 2024. It beat out games like Star Wars Outlaws, Hogwarts Legacy, Elden Ring, Armored Core 6, and EA Sports FC 24, according to Gfk data. It's difficult to say exactly how much Sony considers a success for Astro Bot, but being made by a smaller team and presumably with a lower budget, even a modest success could secure a sequel.

And it seems that Astro Bot's future is looking bright, especially with recent comments from PlayStation CEO Hermen Hulst. In an interview on the official PlayStation podcast, he stated that the family market is a focus for the company. When asked if Sony will be putting more resources into family-friendly titles, he replied, "I think it's massively important that PlayStation Studios develops games in various genres, and the family market I think is really important for us to focus on."

In fact, Hulst and the creative director of Astro Bot, Nico, joked about the success of platformers coming out of Japan, saying that they should set the bar for Astro Bot. Along with Astro Bot, Sony is also set to release the family-friendly game Lego Horizon Adventures later this year on PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Will Lego Horizon Adventures be a hit? Only time will tell. But if you're a fan of exclusive gaming content and want to stay ahead of the latest releases, be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media. And for an even easier way to submit your thoughts and opinions, check out our Submit Stuff page.

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