New Info About 'Hi-Fi RUSH' Dev Tango Gameworks Acquisition

So I guess an Asian / Japanese studio wasn’t the goal ? Why couldn’t they keep the ip like crash and just hire them to create the next instalments ? How does this benefit game pass model losing ip that caters to another demographic?will Xbox pay a heft fee to add new hi rush releases on game pass ? Sooo many questions and wonder will Xbox ever have a clear direction of what’s the plan for the brand because if games continue to go to ps I would just get ps plus and play the Xbox games on ps which doesn’t need game pass and if that happens game pass will lose subs

It would have been the goal if they made mobile games.

I find this whole acquisition really confusing. The studio head and, presumably, most of the staff are long gone since the studio closed down a number of months ago.

They also now seem to only own the Hi-Fi Rush IP and no others. Wouldn't it have made more sense to just purchase the IP?

How did this game never get released in Switch (yet)? There was that leak of assets that had PlayStation shirts and Nintendo shirts, wasn't there? And maybe the millions of dollars of sales on Switch would/could have saved the developer?? Oh well, now PUBG will get to release it on Switch and make One Billion Dollars.

@Rob3008 Right. I guess they just want the remaining workforce for other projects and port Hi-Fi Rush to mobile stores, probably free to play and full of micro transactions.

It sounds like they were able to rehire 50 of the original 100 tango devs as the other 50 had found employment elsewhere. krafton also says that approximately 50 former tango people are being integrated into their other studios. So I take it tango is not reopening it's doors.

They essentially bought the hi fi IP and invited the former devs to work for them.

@TheSimulator it probably was the goal. Spencer said several times that Tango Gameworks & owning a Japanese studio was a priority. But if the people in the studio don't want to be a part of Microsoft. Then what are they meant to do. As pretty much from when it was announced key players left. Producer of Ghostwire Tokyo who Mikami said could be a potential leader when he steps down. Then left. The only studio that didn't put out a warm statement when Microsoft acquired Bethesda. I'm sure others did as well at the thought of being an Xbox exclusive studio in a land that has less than 1% market share. I heard Xbox fans on Japan are a passionate group. But a small one. Mikami & others even left to form a new studio.

This has got to be the weirdest acquisition we've ever seen. Other than maybe THQ is there any other case in which a dead studio was purchased after it was dead? And why would MS close a studio if they're going to shop to sell it after they close it? Isn't that like eating the pizza and then trying to sell it?

@Widey85 I didn't think about that. You're probably exactly right

@TheSimulator Of course getting into the Japanese/Asian market is 'A' goal, but you also have to look at the games, the studio, the logistics etc. They may have wanted Mikami as the way into Japan but he left and the Creator of the Evil Within/Ghostwire was no longer at the studio.

Logistically too with raising differences in the exchange rate, Japan is also a long way from all their other studios and and in different time zones too which makes it extremely difficult to support and check up on when they are the other side of the world.

HiFi Rush too wasn't a big seller or particularly highly played game on Game Pass either despite trying to sell on PS too - it never moved the needle - and the Studio, now without Mikami wants to make another 'Hifi Rush' despite that - so no wonder MS wasn't that interested in keeping them when they have 2 new Studios (under ABK) and a new 'team' in Blizzard too to make 'AA' games which would be a lot easier and logistically superior to keeping Tango...

@BAMozzy yea but they could’ve kept the ip like how the did with crash and let toy for bobs go but will make the new releases … and does that mean Xbox will have to pay to have the new hi rush on game pass ? Sounds silly

@TheSimulator The game was quite niche and didn't sell well but if some other publisher want the creative team that made Hi-fi Rush and are 'available' to be acquired, rather than be 'shut down' along with IP, that makes it a more 'worthwhile' purchase to Krafton.

They don't 'need' a studio to make whatever game they are 'forced' to make, not able to make a 'sequel' to their own IP, but a Studio with a critically successful IP and ideas/plans for Hifi-rush 2, that's a more interesting 'buy'.

That way, both the Studio, or the Creative Talent behind Hi-Fi Rush, and the IP are 'saved' because the Heart and Soul of the game is acquired - the Developers who 'created' the IP. Chances are, MS would let that 'die' like some of their other IP's as their studios have their own 'IP's' they are working on anyway.

So now this way, MS gets 'money', they lose Tango and Hifi-Rush but the future of 'both' is now 'promising' for fans. The alternative was 'both' were gone...

A studio costs a 'lot' to run - wages for peoples time over years over many staff - they need Funding and Toy's for Bob found ways to 'independently' self fund and buy their 'freedom with no IPs. But then MS have 'partnered' with them on something.

@TheSimulator ...and no it makes no difference to 'hifi rush' the first game as that was and still is 'Published by' Microsoft and released 'everywhere' so they'll still make money and control its 'Game Pass' access - like Sunset Overdrive - but have no control over that IP anymore...

@Scummbuddy The current Switch may have difficulty running even a stripped down version. HFR is a rhythm game so the framerate has to be consistent.

@TheSimulator There is not much point in speculation as we as not privy to the overwhelming portion of the facts. MS is not going to tell us as the financials and other studio factors.

@Scummbuddy if they could make it run on switch they would have released it for xbox one before porting it to other platforms and they would also make a ps4 version coz there are still more ps4/xbox one gamers than correct gen...