Team Asobi has finally explained the lack of Square Enix characters in Astro Bot PS5, and it’s a response that we somewhat expected. Studio lead Nicolas Doucet didn’t outright say it, but his answer to a direct question posed by Game File’s Stephen Totilo all but confirms that Square Enix wasn’t on board with the

Square Enix definitely understands how their fans are thinking, and they understand what expectations and culture they have created with their fans, who play on PlayStation. They no longer want to signal that PlayStation is Square Enix’s ‘home’ anymore. At the very least, it is not their only home.

Astro Bot has more cameos than you probably realised there were PlayStation games, but there's one game that feels conspicuously absent: Final Fantasy 7.

Astro Bot just graced our PS5s on September 6, but PlayStation announced that 10 new bots will be coming to the game for free.

Astro Bot isn’t just a brilliant adventure platformer, it’s also an homage to PlayStation history. Sometimes that can make it feel like a Funko Pop branding exercise, but it’s also fun to see all of the nods to important games and characters from the platform’s past.

While there are no Square Enix characters in 'Astro Bot', Team Asobi's head Nicolas Doucet has stressed he "respects the choice" of the studio to keep its I.P.s out of the game.