Tango Gameworks is back from the dead. Studio Hi-Fi Rush has been acquired by South Korean company Krafton, which owns PUBG Studios and Striking Distance, as well as the IP for future games in the rhythm-action series. “This strategic move will also include the rights to Tango Gameworks' acclaimed IP Hi-Fi Rush,” Krafton said in a statement today. I particularly like the way the word 'strategic' is used here with a smirk and a hand-wringing. Still, great news.
Former parent company Microsoft announced in May that it would be shutting down Tango Gameworks, along with Redfall studio Arkane Austin and Mighty Doom makers Alpha Dog Games. Xbox boss Matt Booty described the move in an email to staff as “a consolidation of our Bethesda studio teams so we can invest more in our game portfolio and new intellectual property.” The following day, Booty told a town hall meeting that Xbox needed “smaller games that will bring us prestige and rewards.”
Anyway. Hi-Fi Rush (a small game that won multiple awards, including a BAFTA) was acclaimed by both fans and critics, including Hirun Cryer for RPS, with Cryer calling it “a fantastic cocktail of rhythm-based headbanging and action-packed platforming.” Following Booty's announcement, Tango project manager Kazuaki Egashira posted a shelf full of praise, accompanied by the immortal “isn't it enough?” Basically, Hi-Fi Rush was a hit, and Microsoft's decision to shut down Tango felt like one of the ugliest decisions in a year full of them.
Whether Krafton owning its own necromancy scrolls is a positive or not remains to be seen. But learning that Tango has a future feels like a great start to the week. Krafton says they're working with Xbox and Zenimax to “ensure a smooth transition and continuity at Tango Gameworks, allowing the talented team to continue developing the Hi-Fi Rush IP and explore future projects,” but says there will be “no impact to the current catalog of games from The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and the original Hi-Fi Rush game.” Presumably, these other IPs haven't changed hands.