When PlayStation ‘s “ Astro Bot ” launches Friday, it will provide PS5 owners with access to a brand-new, fully developed story featuring the small robot who previously gained fame for introducing players to all the exciting new features of the Sony gaming console released in 2020 through the pre-loaded title “Astro’s Playroom.”

Four years later, Astro has broken out of his playroom and is on a bigger mission: Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Sony Interactive in an easy-entry platformer that features more than 150 cameos of beloved PlayStation characters from across mega hits and deep cuts, including “God of War,” “Ratchet & Clank,” “Ape Escape” and many more.

However, the initial concept for the game from Team Asobi was simply to give Astro a larger space adventure game with more to do, while incorporating a few PlayStation references and characters here and there. But the enthusiasm for the game across Sony's gaming IP brands led to much more.

“If you had asked me two years ago about how many characters we could incorporate - well, my job is to anticipate challenges, so I tend to be pessimistic - where we ended up with these 150-plus characters has been quite surprising,” Team Asobi studio director Nicolas Doucet told Variety . “Especially what has surprised me, and I'm truly delighted with, is the amount of love and attention our partners have shown us, because their positive outlook on the game made it possible. Ownership of IPs and such can sometimes be a source of friction or hinder productivity, and the fact that we're able to utilize these characters and put a playful spin on them, because we often poke fun at them, and everyone is on board and asking for more, I believe it shows that people really embrace that fun and playful approach. And that's a really positive human experience because these individuals were incredibly supportive of what we were doing with their characters.”

Despite Team Asobi's playful hints, “Astro Bot” is primarily a love letter to PlayStation from PlayStation, following Astro and the Bot crew after their PS5 mothership (yes, the gaming console is their spaceship, and the Dual Sense controller is Astro's smaller ride across planets) crash lands and Astro is tasked with gathering his scattered team members across the galaxy in the aftermath of the accident.

In his journey across over 50 planets, Astro encounters his generic Bot companions, as well as those PlayStation heroes transformed into Bot form, like the Botified version of “God of War’s” demigod protagonist Kratos showcased in the image above. PlayStation is keeping most of the cameos secret until the game launches Friday, allowing players to enjoy the surprise firsthand — and, naturally, encouraging them to purchase the game.