It's been just over a month since the former Xbox-owned studio Tango Gameworks was acquired by South Korean publisher Krafton, and the head of corporate development (Maria Park) has been speaking about the move this week.
Park touched on a number of topics during the interview, including how "incredibly accommodating" Xbox boss Phil Spencer was in helping the Tango Gameworks team during the transition - here's a bit of what she said about this:
"Also, the opportunity to take over the IP from Microsoft. It's very unusual for them to sell the IP even in case of a studio shutdown. We spoke with Phil Spencer directly and we have their direct support. He has been incredibly accommodating to the needs of the Tango team."
The exec also confirmed during this chat that Krafton only took over the Hi-Fi RUSH IP from Microsoft and not the likes of Ghostwire: Tokyo and The Evil Within, which remain part of Xbox (for now at least!).
Speaking of Hi-Fi RUSH 2, we've already heard about how a new game is planned for the future, and Park revealed that Krafton saw a six-month old build of the title when first meeting with Tango Gameworks. The project is currently on hold for the time being though, as the publisher is still working through the IP acquisition with Microsoft:
"At the moment, because the IP acquisition is in progress, it's been on hold because all the related assets and tools will be transferred to Krafton from Microsoft. But yes, we'll continue working on it for sure. Like I said, we won't really rush to the market just to deliver a sequel. We want to make sure that the sequel is actually at a quality level that surpasses the community's expectations."
There's a whole lot more to discover in this chat over at GamesIndustry.biz if you're interested, especially about Hi-Fi RUSH 2 and what Krafton hopes to achieve with the sequel.
Ultimately, we're just grateful that Tango Gameworks has found a new home, and we're definitely interested in playing a follow-up to one of last year's very best Xbox titles. It's nice to see Phil Spencer getting praise along the way as well!