Following Xbox's surprise closure of Tango Gameworks back in May, the Hi-Fi RUSH developer was saved from the wreckage by PUBG publisher Krafton - and in a new interview, the team has talked about how much it now cherishes its most recent IP.
Speaking with IGN, the folks responsible for Hi-Fi RUSH and The Evil Within series have talked about what's next for the studio. Ultimately, what the team releases next is still to be decided, but director John Johanas has touched on Hi-Fi's importance to Tango:
"Many of our staff have a lot of love for [Hi-Fi RUSH], so we feel like we have options. We’re currently at the stage of considering various opportunities.
Not only me, but many of the development staff have a strong attachment to Hi-Fi Rush,
Not only the game but also the characters and the world are beloved by us, so I want to cherish this IP."
Despite this, it sounds like the former Xbox-owned studio is still very much open to creating new franchises. The interview went on to discuss how "it's important to try new things" - hinting that Tango Gameworks still wants to take risks and potentially create more new IP.
"I think Tango Gameworks is about taking on new challenges. I hope to continue to work in a way that puts developers at the center, without losing our passion."
Ultimately, we'll have to wait and see what comes next from Tango, but it does sound like 'Hi-Fi RUSH 2' is very much in the team's plans - even if it was put on hold during the Krafton acquisition phase. The PUBG publisher has already touched on how it doesn't expect a sequel to make any money, so, that might not be a huge stumbling block for this one being greenlit again in the near future.
Excited to see what's next from Tango? Talk to us about it down in the comments!
[source ign.com]
Comments 14
Terrible decisions done at Microsoft.
I just want another evil within game. Don't care who makes it. I wasn't that into hi fi rush.
I wish they could have got all their IPs but alas.
How funny would it be if they partnered with Sony for the sequel?
@TeiGekiLord Without Mikami what would be the point?
@PSDeckSwitchOwner Mikami didn't make The Evil Within 2 and he has left Tango, like other key people.
As they should! It's one of the coolest IP's to grace the gaming industry in some time (plus a great game on top of that!)
One of the worst MS decisions. Such a great and unique game. Will buy sequel in a heartbeat. I am glad studio was saved.
@PSDeckSwitchOwner Mikami wasn’t involved much in Hi-Fi Rush, in fact he left shortly after because he saw what the studio was capable of doing without him being involved.
I’m literally just waiting for the next discount to get it… on PS5.
@IOI man the game deserves every penny. Played it with GP when it was released and still bought the deluxe version later on.
@Millionski I was holding my purchase for the announced physical edition but it seemingly isn’t coming anymore ):
Odd phrasing when it's ultimately Microsoft/Xbox that handed the studio over in as smooth a transition as they could and gave the new parent company the rights to the studio's latest IP (something Xbox wouldn't have done in days past).
It's unfortunate Tango isn't first party anymore and was slated to close, but I think it ultimately came down to logistics. Microsoft is a multinational organization, but ultimately based in the US and Xbox is a far smaller division under Microsoft that is seriously majorly based in the US. Tango was their only first party studio in Japan, heck it was their only studio in Asia. That added an additional level of difficulty in managing the studio and navigating everything. For example the time difference between Washington and Japan is 16 to 17 hours (Japan doesn't practice daylight savings so it gets longer then). There are ways around it but does still affect a lot. Plus Xbox has been ramping up collaboration between studios to improve overall game quality and growth, and they couldn't really do that at all with Tango. Frankly tango was always a weird one under the Zenimax umbrella. I really wish Xbox had been able to make it work (as I think they need more diverse first party studios and one with major DNA from across Japanese developers would accomplish that), but I think short of them buying or building up other studios and management in Japan and Asia, it just wasn't working out. Maybe in the reality where Sega approached them to be purchased instead of ABK. Regardless, Tango is still going strong following being sold to an actual Asia based publisher (South Korea specifically) that's a good partner of Xbox. It's not a bad situation.
They got straight Luke Skywalkered for turning out a gem
@WildConcept6 Exactly. It was not a "closure", it was a smooth transition. They could have just closed the studios and fire the employees, but they kept the studio alive until they found a buyer for them. Not just that, but since the studio was planning a Hi-Fi Rush sequel, they handed over that IP and offered collaborative plans for the future. I also have discussed the logistics regarding Tango previously. I just got tired of multiple Hi-Fi Rush articles that were obviously looking for that kind of attention, but Ben's articles are particularly shallow. It should also be mentioned that the key member had already left the studio. I'm sure that that can't be good news for any studio. Firstly, Mikami, but then key people working on the other games: Hi-Fi Rush and Ghostwire Tokyo.
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