Microsoft has reportedly approved a new game from Hellblade 2 developer Ninja Theory and has no plans to close the studio.
09.05.2024 - 19:11 / rockpapershotgun.com / Arkane Austin / Matt Booty / Tango Gameworks / John Johanas
Ah, it feels like only yesterday that Microsoft shut down Tango Gameworks, creators of Hi-Fi Rush, and now here's Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, telling Microsoft staff at an internal townhall meeting that "we need smaller games that give us prestige and awards" - a sentence we might plausibly lengthen to "...like Hi-Fi Rush".
See, these are the kinds of glacial changes of focus and ponderous shifts of strategy you often get at very large videogame publishers such as Microsoft. Trends are cyclical and corporations are sort of just these massive, sleepy hamsters, trundling around the wheel to rediscover practices and projects they once deemed bad for business. Hang on, let me go look up "yesterday" in the dictionary and fetch some sellotape - my brain appears to have exploded.
Passed on by the Verge, Booty's remarks may have been taken out of context - who knows, perhaps he went onto add "...but not like Hi-Fi Rush, which we secretly fear and despise for its rad comicbook visuals and irrepressible soundtrack, even though we've previously said we're really happy with its performance". In any case, I'm sure it all makes sense from the vantage point of an Earth-sized spreadsheet with cells that need to turn green and lines that need to go up. Hi-Fi Rush's director John Johanas has responded to the quote on Xitter, as below. He seems... nonplussed.
https://t.co/Cz2fW01QVc pic.twitter.com/ADV4ZTpIuP
In case you somehow missed it, Microsoft sent an internal memo this week announcing plans to shutter not just Tango, but Redfall and Prey developer Arkane Austin (be sure to read Nic's excellent "Post-It note" about the genius of Prey) and Mighty Dog Studios, while folding Roundhouse Games into Elder Scrolls Online developers ZeniMax Online. Booty has elsewhere told employees, again via the Verge, that "these changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda's portfolio of blockbuster games". Microsoft are concentrating on projects that are "best positioned for success." I'm not sure how much more successful Microsoft need to be, given that they became a trillion dollar company in January.
The Verge claims that Tango were in the process of pitching Hi-Fi Rush 2 before they were canned. The studio deserved better. Best of luck to all affected.
Microsoft has reportedly approved a new game from Hellblade 2 developer Ninja Theory and has no plans to close the studio.
In a development you don't see every day, following the closure of Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, swarms of fans have expressed their outrage by positively review bombing the game on Steam. This reverse review bombing campaign has resulted in several thousand Positive new reviews rising to the top since the news of Bethesda's Microsoft-mandated restructure broke last week.
While developer Tango Gameworks has been shut down by Microsoft, the studio’s most recent title—Hi-Fi Rush—is getting one more update. Out today, the update is available on PS5 and PC, and brings with it a host of smaller bugs throughout the game. Check out the complete patch notes below for more details.
Microsoft had announced in February that it would bring four of its exclusive Xbox titles to rival platforms from Sony and Nintendo. It seems the company is not stopping with its four first-party games coming to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. A new report claims that the Xbox parent intends to make a multi-platform push for more of its games. Under the plan, internally codenamed “Latitude,” more upcoming first-party Xbox titles are said to be in development for the PS5.
Soon to be closed Xbox studio Tango Gameworks has confirmed that a physical edition of Hi-Fi Rush is still being worked on.
Bethesda Softworks has registered for a new trademark for what might be a new DOOM game by virtue of its IDKFA name (which is a cheat code in DOOM). The trademark details can be viewed by clicking here, and it was registered on 2024-01-09 with its current status as still pending approval.
Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty has reportedly said Microsoft needs smaller games that will earn it «prestige and awards» a day after shutting down Tango Gameworks.
Since Microsoft’s shuttering of developer Tango Gameworks, angry fans of the studio’s work have taken to bombarding the Steam listings for Hi-Fi Rush, Ghostwire: Tokyo and The Evil Within and its sequel with reviews. Interestingly, while movements among fanbases like this typically opt to go with negative reviews, the Steam reviews for these games are incredibly positive.
This Week in Business is our weekly recap column, a collection of stats and quotes from recent stories presented with a dash of opinion (sometimes more than a dash) and intended to shed light on various trends. Check every Friday for a new entry.
Addressing Microsoft's recent call to close down four of its first-party studios, including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, Xbox President Sarah Bond talked about the motive behind it. Other companies that Xbox recently dissolved are Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios.
A Tango Gameworks developer has reacted to an Xbox executive reportedly asking for more "smaller games that give us prestige and awards" with a picture of Hi-Fi Rush's awards.
Hi-Fi Rush has become the highest-rated Xbox game of all time on Steam thanks to fans positively review-bombing the game in response to Xbox controversially closing down Tango Gameworks.