A few months ago,the gaming world was shocked when Microsoft closed several Bethesda studios. It was awful news, but the shocking part is that alongside Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Games, one of the studios shot down was Tango Gameworks. Last year, alongside their lineup of already impressive games, they had releasedHi-Fi Rush,a rhythm action game that was a surprise launch. It came out to much acclaim, even being a major Game of the Year contender, and according Microsoft, also sold quite well. So yes, the fact that they were suddenly shut down despite having made such a critical and commercial success was quite a shocker. But tonight, news broke of an even bigger shocker, as Tango Gameworks has now been acquired by a new publisher, along with the Hi-Fi Rush IP. Continuing the shock, the publisher in question is none other than South Korean company Krafton, the people behindPUBG: Battlegrounds.
Can’t Stop the Music
According toKrafton’s press release,the acquisition is described as a “strategic move” that marks Krafton’s first major investment in the Japanese game market and “reinforces Krafton’s dedication to expanding its global footprint and enhancing its portfolio with innovative and high-quality content.” They will also be working with Microsoft and ZeniMax to ensure that there’s a smooth transition, making sure the team will be free to continue with more Hi-Fi Rush and any other projects they have in mind. What puts this move into shocker territory is that only the Hi-Fi Rush IP has been mentioned as being acquired, and not any of Tango Gameworks' other IPs, likeThe Evil WithinandGhostwire: Tokyo.Considering other games from Krafton include the aforementioned PUBG,The Callisto Protocol,and most recently, the turn-based strategy gameMoonbreaker,Hi-Fi Rush can’t help but feel like an odd game to focus on, acclaimed as it is.
Hi-Fi Rush: PS5 Starter Guide
This charming action-rhythm game has made it to the PlayStation 5!
Still, one can’t exactly complain about Tango Gameworks and Hi-Fi Rush being rescued, and it’s likely that Krafton is indeed just making moves to diversify its portfolio when it comes to publishing. Still, now all eyes will be on Krafton to see if they can end up treating Tango Gameworks any better, especially given that PUBG alone has been subject to multiple controveries over the years (including one less than two months old). For now, though, hopefully we can be optimistic and pray things turn out alright, and at least be very happy about the fact that the folks at Tango Gameworks now have jobs again, able to get back to business. And as all of Tango Gameworks' previous library of games will be unaffected and will still be for sale in all their current areas, now would be the time celebrate by checking out Hi-Fi Rush and their other games, if you haven’t already. Now to hope someone rescuesRoll7 from Take-Two,among many others…
Hi-Fi Rush
Hi-Fi Rush is a third-person rhythm action game from Tango Gameworks, the same developers that worked on The Evil Within series.
