Hi-Fi Rush, and its studio, Tango Gameworks, have somehow come back from the proverbial grave.
As reported by Automaton, Krafton, the Korean game publisher behind PUBG and The Callisto Protocol, have stepped in to take ownership of the studio, alongside the Hi-Fi Rush IP.
Microsoft shared this statement regarding the studio’s revival and change of ownership to Windows Central:
“We’re working with Krafton to enable the team at Tango Gameworks to continue to build games together and we look forward to playing their next great game. There will be no impact to the existing catalog of Tango games.”
Krafton, for their part, said this in the announcement press release:
“As part of this strategic agreement, KRAFTON intends to collaborate with Xbox and ZeniMax to ensure a smooth transition and maintain continuity at Tango Gameworks, allowing the talented team to continue developing the Hi-Fi RUSH IP and explore future projects.
KRAFTON intends to support the Tango Gameworks team to continue its commitment to innovation and delivering fresh and exciting experiences for fans. There will be no impact on the existing game catalog of The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and the original Hi-Fi RUSH game.”
Krafton may be maneuvering around the issue, like Chai trying to time his attacks to the rhythm, but they’re making it clear that Zenimax retains ownership of the The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo franchises
The world was shocked with news that Microsoft suddenly decided to close four studios, which included Tango Gameworks, and Arkane Austin. As far as we can recall, this is the first instance in two years where a studio’s closure has been reversed. Well, it’s more likely that it will be explained later that Microsoft managed to make a last minute deal with Krafton, before the studio’s closure would become irreversible. So they may not quite be ready to make games as soon as tomorrow, but we have to credit Microsoft for committing to really helping the studio find a way, even after they thought there were no options left.
We’re happy for the staff at Tango Gameworks, although we will point out we don’t know for sure how many employees were retained quite yet. We can at least confirm that John Johanas, who was game director for Hi-Fi Rush, and emerged as their public facing figurehead, is coming back.
To celebrate this is not to erase the closure of other game studios, by Microsoft as well as other companies. But it’s a hopeful sign that perhaps we are nearing the end of the wave of video game industry layoffs that has been raging for the past two years. This follows news that many other studios have ended layoffs and started hiring for new jobs again.
As much as some analysts and investors are looking at the PlayStation 5 Pro or Grand Theft Auto 6 as the purported saviors of the industry, we hope that the industry can find growth and bounce back before either of those products are released. And the industry doesn’t have to make billion dollar generating games to get there. A lot of mid budget games that make great sales, and even a pool of smaller games that do just enough to get attention and become profitable, these can lift our industry up back to a healthy state.
Krafton hinted that they have plans for Hi-Fi Rush. While that sounds like plans for a sequel, they can certainly look at making a children’s cartoon, toys, another Guardians of the Galaxy copycat movie, fighting game spinoff, all sorts of things that they can explore.
We’re all certainly hopeful for Tango Gameworks’ future and congratulate them for their comeback.
