Games

Astro Bot Sales Start Strong Across Major Markets

It’s been a week since Astro Bot hit the shelves, but both its developer, Team Asobi, and publisher, PlayStation, have remained quiet about the game’s performance. This silence has led to speculation that despite receiving favorable reviews, the game might not be doing well commercially.

The speculation intensified when Famitsu released sales data for Japan, showing that Astro Bot sold only 12,672 physical copies, placing it second behind Touhou Danmaku Kagura: Phantasia Lost, a game that has been out for six months.

Some believed the recent price hike of the PS5 in Japan could be to blame for Astro Bot’s lukewarm sales. The price increase may have discouraged new console purchases, which, in turn, could have affected the game’s sales. However, since the Famitsu data only reflects physical sales, it doesn’t paint the full picture of the game’s overall performance.

The U.S.

New data from Circana, a U.S. sales tracking firm, offers a more positive outlook. According to Mat Piscatella, Circana’s executive director, Astro Bot’s first-week sales in the U.S. were stronger than many had anticipated. In a Bluesky post, Piscatella revealed that for the week ending September 7, Astro Bot ranked second in unit sales, both physical and digital. The game was only surpassed by NBA 2K25, which is a popular sports title, especially among casual gamers.

Even more impressive is the fact that the Astro Bot DualSense controller was the best-selling accessory during the same period.

Don’t usually talk weeklies but wanted to add some context to the UK reporting from last week. Across both physical & digital, Astro Bot ranked 2nd in unit sales in the US for w/e Sept 7th (behind only NBA 2K25), and the Astro Bot DualSense was the week’s best-selling accessory. Solid week 1.

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) September 16, 2024 at 7:39 PM

The U.K.

The game’s launch in the U.K. also showed promising results. Christopher Dring of GamesIndustry.biz revealed that Astro Bot’s first-week sales in the UK were 21% higher than those of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart when it debuted in 2021.

Dring noted on X that Astro Bot is the fastest-selling original platformer IP outside of the Mario series in the last decade, surpassing renowned franchises like Sonic, Kirby, and Crash Bandicoot. In the UK, the game was only outperformed by Space Marine 2, which became the fastest-selling Warhammer game.

Astro Bot’s UK launch is solid. First week sales are 21% higher than the debut of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart in 2021. Astro was No.2 last week behind Space Marine 2, which is the UK’s fastest-selling Warhammer game (beating Total War: Warhammer 3). More in the next GI Microcast

— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) September 12, 2024

The gamers are quite worried about game sales, as the last poorly performing PS5 exclusive Concord met with a sudden shutdown just two weeks after release. Concord was an ambitious project for PlayStation, with a budget of over 100 million and an eight-year development period. However, given that Astro Bot was developed by a relatively small team of 65 people over three years, its production costs are likely much lower than Concord’s. This means Astro Bot has a lower threshold for profitability.

Now, all eyes are on Sony and Team Asobi for an official announcement.