Microsoft recently announced that it will be shutting down four of its game studios and Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, held a town hall to discuss the future goals of the division.
Booty stated, “We need smaller games that will give us prestige and awards.”
For some listeners on the call, it was surprising, as just a couple of days before, Microsoft had shut down the Japanese developer Tango Gameworks, the studio that created the prestigious indie hit “Hi-Fi Rush.”
Hi-Fi Rush was a surprise release last year and it has been praised for its innovation and charm. The rhythm action game featured music by The Black Keys and Nine Inch Tails with an art style that reminded you of the hyper-stylized games of the PS2 era.
Just four months after its release, Hi-Fi Rush had hit over 3 million players, and also during the 2023-24 award season, the game went on to win a Game Award, a Game Developers Choice Award, and a BAFTA award.
Hi-Fi RUSH was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations. We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release.
— Aaron Greenberg 🙅🏼♂️💚U (@aarongreenberg) April 21, 2023
We still do not know as to what made Microsoft shut down these four game studios as yet, the fact still remains that it had been happy with the Hi-Fi rush sales, and based on the responses of the players, many are still confused.
Before Hi-Fi Rush, Tango Gameworks was known exclusively for its survival horror games, including The Evil Within series and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Aside from this, in an interview with Kinda Funny Games, Xbox head Phil Spencer spoke about how important it was for Xbox to allow studios to make games outside their comfort zones.
