PlayStation Plans to Compete with Nintendo for Younger Players with Games Like ‘Astro Bot’ and Anime

The gaming industry as a whole is now in a very good place. And while the players are somewhat “suffering” from a certain increase in prices, the competition is tougher than ever and players are getting more and more amazing content, both when the consoles and the games are concerned.

Recently, Nintendo had a record-breaking launch with the Nintendo Switch 2, which resulted in many observers raising the question of Nintendo becoming a serious contender for PlayStation’s fanbase.

This issue was addressed during a recent investor briefing, when Sony’s execs were asked about Sony’s plans to stop Nintendo from “stealing away” a large chunk of their player base, and they had an answer ready.

Recently, we talked about how Hideaki Nishino revealed that Sony is not worried about the competition from Nintendo, as they have a different strategic approach to gaming, which – he believes – will keep old players and attract new ones.

But, during the recent briefing, one of the questions raised was how Sony is planning on attracting younger players, seeing how the Nintendo Switch 2 is now seemingly a much more convenient console when it comes to the youngest of players.

The gaming world’s structure has changed and players who started gaming in the 90s and 00s are now older and they are loyal customers, but the current gaming world is much different from the old one.

Games like Minecraft, Roblox or Fortnite were more or less unimaginable at the time but they are a reality for children today and they are more used to such games than major, plot-driven franchises like God of War or The Last of Us.

In light of that, some of the investors were worried that Sony doesn’t have a proper answer to this issue, but it seems that there is a plan. “We have franchises that appeal to a range of different player segments,” PS Studios boss Hermen Hulst said. “Horizon is a good example, it has been very popular with female players; Astro Bot, from our lovely Team ASOBI in Tokyo has been a hit with children and adults alike.”

But that’s not it. We mean, these games are already there and they’re not telling us too much about the future. But Hulst is! “We continue to drive engagement with the PlayStation ecosystem and brand by bringing our franchises to new formats, film, television, and anime. Anime in particular is appealing to key younger audiences, so that’s going to be very helpful for us,” he said.

This sounds like they do have a plan and with the anime market being one of the largest-growing ones, it could be a solid bet for PlayStation going forward. Of course, games like Astro Bot are always a sure win for them, so it seems that the world of gaming will very much benefit from these developments.

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