T12

Astro Bot has sold 4.3M copies, generating around $250M for PlayStation (@alineaanalytics estimates). The budget is likely under $100M, including marketing, so that's A LOT of profit. But Astro could also be a Trojan horse for PlayStation to reach an audience it's mostly conceded to Nintendo, if Sony can stick the landing and nurture Astro right. Despite a somewhat slow start by first-party standards, Astro won Game of the Year at @geoffkeighley's @thegameawards (boosting sales considerably, see the spike at the end of December there) and has in the past year become a proper evergreen seller. As covered in the Alinea Substack yesterday, Astro has shifted over 600K copies this year alone as per our estimates (almost $33M) and is still selling 100K a month well over a year after launch. Every single month this year, Astro Bot's top crossover game is Astro's Playroom, the thing pre-installed on every PS5. So two things are happening: new PS5 owners are buying Astro Bot in droves, and that free pack-in is doing a banging job of turning them into buyers. Every month, the #2, #3, and #4 crossovers are, without fail, Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft. So beyond the PS-diehard buyers who propped up the launch, Astro's true, evergreen demographic has been kiddos and families. That demo has been a huge gap in PlayStation's first-party repertoire. RIP Sackboy. Now, Astro Bot is quietly turning into one of PlayStation's only successfulfamily-friendly brands in the modern era, and I reckon Sony's only getting started. I'd bet on a film or TV announcement before long, Astro-ified PlayStation characters and all. In yesterday's SEC filing, Sony said it plans to further expand its films and TV shows based on PlayStation game IP. I'd also put money on an Astro sequel sooner than you'd think, timed around the incoming PlayStation handheld, which I'd wager Playroom ends up on too (as covered, that funnel has worked wonders). Team Asobi works fast and lean: Astro Bot took about 60 people three years, as per @Chris_Dring at @thegamebusiness (subscribe!!!). We're coming up to two years since Astro launched. Astro is IDEAL for a handheld: it's pick-up-and-play, visually showcases the hardware, and demonstrates the DualSense features Sony loves to show off. It's basically Sony's Wii Sports. They almost have to do it. It's no Mario, sure, but PlayStation's been chasing the family crowd for ages with not much to show for it, a few decent swings aside. Astro's the first real crack in that door. If Sony keeps growing the brand, Astro's a perfect on-ramp into the rest of the PlayStation catalogue, which is exactly what LEGO Horizon Adventures was meant to be and, by our estimates, sadly clearly wasn't. Maybe Astro Bot ends up being what that game never managed. Sorry, Herman! If I were Sony, I'd lean on that momentum HARD in the handheld marketing. There's a real chance to breathe life back into Ratchet & Clank and other IP gathering dust, and an obvious fit for PS Plus while they're at it. Once the brand's had a bit more love, an Astro: Horizon or Astro: Uncharted could be a brilliant way to nudge players toward the bigger stuff once they're ready to move past platformers. Astro Bot and Astro's Playroom have already done the groundwork. So yeah, the pieces are all there: the brand, the funnel, the timing, a handheld that's crying out for a mascot. Sony just has to not fumble it.

James Dolan said on WFAN that the Knicks do NOT plan on going into the second apron, per @StevePopper.

Georgia dad guns down wife after dispute, then kills himself with their 3 kids home trib.al/dLl3GkZ