It's another tough period for the video game industry this week with Xbox announcing the immediate closure of four teams - including its Japanese studio Tango Gameworks, responsible for Hi-Fi RUSH and multiple other IP over the years.
Past and present developers have been sending their messages to these teams and now the studio founder, who left Tango Gameworks early last year, has chimed in with a few words. It does the job - describing how many tied to the studio likely feel about this shock news right now:
@shinji_mikami - Tango closed. Sad.
Mikami's departure was originally announced in February last year after the studio wrapped up Hi-Fi RUSH, which was met with critical acclaim. Ghostwire: Tokyo at the time was still technically a PlayStation 5 console exclusive. In his official departing statement, he noted how Tango was now in the capable hands of the team's younger generation and asked fans to continue supporting the studio.
Hi-Fi RUSH had surpassed two million players by March 2023, and it wasn't long after this that Xbox's Aaron Greenberg said the game was a "break out hit" for the team, following a rumour the title "didn't make the money it needed to make".
In March of this year, roughly a year after Mikami moved on, it was discovered he had set up a new company.