Astro Bot Director Says “it’s Difficult to Comment” on Lack of Final Fantasy Cameos

Astro Bot is a spectacular celebration of PlayStation and the entire history of the brand, the bulk of which takes the form of cameo appearances of bot versions of a number of beloved characters that have been strongly associated with PlayStation over the years, coming from both first- and third-party franchises. But even though Astro Bot boasts impressive coverage on that front with its 150 VIP bots, there are some notable omissions.

Final Fantasy, for instance, is a franchise that we see none of in the platformer. Though there were some Final Fantasy 7 easter eggs to be found in 2020’s Astro’s Playroom, where Astro Bot is concerned, there is no Final Fantasy representation whatsoever. When asked about the same while speaking with Game File, the platformer’s director and Team Asobi’s studio head Nicolas Doucet was unwilling to give a concrete response, but suggested that Square Enix was unwilling to allow Final Fantasy cameos in Astro Bot.

“It’s difficult to comment on that,” Doucet said when asked about the lack of Final Fantasy in PlayStation. “We really respect the choice of each publisher.”

Final Fantasy has, of course, been strongly associated with PlayStation over the course of the latter brand’s entire history, so it’s not surprising that the franchise’s absence in Astro Bot – especially with the game brimming with appearances from so many other franchises – has been disappointing for a number of fans.

Astro Bot will be adding more VIP bots soon though, even if they’re not from Final Fantasy, with free DLC set to launch this fall.

Astro Bot is available on PS5. Read our review of the game through here.