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

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 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.