I woke up to the exciting news that Krafton has acquired Hi-Fi Rush maker, Tango Gameworks. The shuttering of Tango Gameworks by Microsoft was one of the most disturbing developments this year considering the fact that Hi-Fi Rush received massive accolades across the gaming industry after it was shadowdropped earlier last year.
“KRAFTON, Inc. today welcomed the talented people of Tango Gameworks to their team, marking [an] exciting moment in the company’s global expansion and its first significant investment in the Japanese video game market,” the South Korean investor announced. “This strategic move will include the rights to Tango Gameworks’ acclaimed IP, Hi-Fi RUSH.”
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Krafton was founded in 2007 and has its headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The company describes itself as a collective of studios that all have unique creative identities. According to the company, its “team is always aspiring to evolve, innovate, and create new technology and entertainment experiences that fans can interact and engage with for years to come”.
Back in April, Xbox announced a sweeping reform that included the shutting down of four Bethesda studios. Roundhouse Games, Alpha Dog, Arkane Austin, and Tango Gameworks were all impacted by the decision—which eventually generated backlash from the gaming community.
“As part of this strategic agreement, KRAFTON intends to collaborate with Xbox and ZeniMax to ensure a smooth transition and maintain continuity at Tango Gameworks, allowing the talented team to continue developing the Hi-Fi RUSH IP and explore future projects.
“KRAFTON intends to support the Tango Gameworks team to continue its commitment to innovation and delivering fresh and exciting experiences for fans. There will be no impact on the existing game catalog of The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and the original Hi-Fi RUSH game.”
Tango Gameworks was founded in 2010 and rose to become a fan-favorite studio, daring into new gaming perspectives and mechanics. Consequently, no two games from the studio offer a similar experience. Their latest release, Hi-Fi Rush was a rhythm-action combat game.
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The game achieved widespread acclaim with an “Overwhelmingly Positive” review on Steam and an average score of 87, 88, and 90 on Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC on Metacritic. It also bagged numerous awards including Best Audio Design at The Game Awards, Best Animation at the BAFTA Games Awards, and Best Audio at Game Developers’ Choice Award. It received several other nominations too.
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