Astro Bot’s end credits thank the various third-party developers and publishers who licensed their characters for use as cameo bots — including those currently not in the game.
The PlayStation 5 exclusive 3D platformer features 173 bot cameos from PlayStation games past and present (check out IGN’s feature, Astro Bot: Every PlayStation Character - Easter Eggs, for more).
But, as VGC spotted, Astro Bot’s end credits thank various companies whose characters have so far failed to show up, prompting speculation that the credits point to upcoming DLC.
Warning! Potential Astro Bot spoilers ahead:
The credits thank Ubisoft, for example, for the inclusion of Assassin’s Creed, Beyond Good & Evil, and Rayman, even though characters from those franchises are not in the game yet.
There’s also a mention of the recently revived Croc, Worms, and the more recently released Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin (both of which are currently PS5 exclusives). There is no mention, however, of Square Enix, whose iconic Final Fantasy characters are conspicuous by their absence in Astro Bot — an omission fans have picked up on in the context of Final Fantasy's long-standing association with PlayStation.
Astro Bot developer Team Asobi is yet to confirm the exact nature of any DLC, although has said it’s working on adding new challenge levels at some point, and these will feature new cameo bots to unlock. In our 9/10 review of Astro Bot, IGN said: “A fantastically inventive platformer in its own right, Astro Bot is particularly special for anyone with a place in their heart for PlayStation.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
