Barely 24 hours after closing Hi-Fi Rush developer, Tango Gameworks, Xbox studios boss Matt Booty said the company needed “smaller games that give us prestige and awards,” which was exactly what Hi-Fi Rush did.
According to The Verge, Booty held a town hall today, Thursday, May 9, 2024, where he discussed the future goals of Microsoft’s gaming division. According to internal remarks shared with The Verge, Booty told the employees, “We need smaller games that give us prestige and awards”.
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After shadow-dropping last year, Hi-Fi Rush, a rhythm action game, was showered with accolades for its innovative gameplay. The game features music by The Black Keys and Nine Inch Nails and an art style that is reminiscent of the PS2 era. On Metacritic, the game raked in an average score of 90 on PC, 88 on PS5, and 87 on Xbox Series X.
In just four months after its release, the game attracted over 3 million players. It went on to bag multiple nominations and won some during the 2023-2024 award season. Microsoft has yet to share the sales data from the game, although it appears satisfied with its commercial performance—or so many thought until the studio’s sudden closure.
“Hi-Fi RUSH was a break-out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations,” wrote Aaron Greenberg, VP, of Xbox games marketing at that time in response to a post that questioned what Xbox determines as success. “We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release.”
Before making Hi-Fi Rush, Tango Gameworks was famous for making survival horror, The Evil Within 1&2, and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Speaking on the Kinda Funny Games podcast in May 2023, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said it was important to allow studios to make games outside their comfort zone.
It appears Xbox executives quickly forgot about all the praises they showered on Hi-Fi Rush when they decided to shut down Tango Gameworks. For many, the early signs of trouble was the announcement in February that the game would be heading to PS5.
Before its shuttering Bloomberg claimed Tango Gameworks was in the process of pitching a Hi-Fi Rush sequel. It is so sad that that will never happen now. Booty’s comment simply means Xbox executives don’t know what they want.
