Xbox studios boss says it needs smaller, award-winning games one day after closing Tango Gameworks

A final update for Hi-Fi Rush released this week: a gift from developer Tango Gameworks before it closes its doors for good. The update fixes a selection of minor bugs on PS5, and will be the final title update, as Xbox has decided to shut down the decorated Japanese developer. The studio, founded by industry icon Shinji Mikami, released several acclaimed titles under parent company Bethesda’s banner, including The Evil Within and Ghostwire Tokyo.

Tango Gameworks has released one last patch for Hi-Fi Rush today, the final act of the studio after the announcement of its closure by Microsoft last week.

Soon to be closed Xbox studio Tango Gameworks has confirmed that a physical edition of Hi-Fi Rush is still being worked on.

This week, Microsoft and Bethesda announced that they would be closing down multiple game development studios under their umbrella. These include Alpha Dog Games, maker of Mighty Doom, and Arkane Austin, developer of the disastrous Redfall among others. In the gaming industry, the conventional wisdom has long been held that bad games sink you and great games save you, which would lead many to drawing an unfortunate line between Redfall’s reception and Arkane Austin’s closure — but immediately stops supporting that conclusion when you get to Tango Gameworks.

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.

Hi-Fi Rush fans are currently leaving tons of positive reviews on the game's Steam page, marking another community-driven instance of reverse-review bombing. The occurrence follows parent company Xbox's decision to shutter Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks.

Steam users are leaving positive reviews for Hi-Fi Rush following Microsoft’s shock decision to close its developer, Tango Gameworks.

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.

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".

In one of the most double-think statements ever made outside of George Orwell’s 1984, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty has told employees that “We need smaller games that give us prestige and awards,” just one day after closing down the game studio that was responsible for the prestigious award-winning game, Hi-Fi Rush.

The sudden closure of several video-game studios at Microsoft's Xbox division was the result of a widespread cost-cutting initiative that still isn't finished.