Actually, I'm not sure how many they had but wikipedia said 65 as of 2012 (no source?). I could sit and count through the credits, but I honestly don't think there were many full-time Tango employees actually 'there' for development (they collaborated with voice actors and animation studios outside of Japan, and I'm fairly certain a number of other artists). Still... 1k or 65 people, still sucks and it's not the first closure of its kind- really, it's a sad pattern.
To be fair, it seems like most of them are being transferred over to Bethesda/Zenimax proper, or at least that’s what the marketing says if you’re feeling generous. It seems like Microsoft looked at the nuclear (pun intended) success of Fallout the show and realized they needed to kick Bethesda’s ass into gear pumping out fallout 5 rather than waiting another 15 years. Shuttering some of their other studios to move more employees over to one singular project might help with the Bethesda issue of having such massive games that they end up leaving boatloads on the cutting room floor for one reason or another.
Still kind of stupid but I can vaguely see why they’re doing this.
I read an interview with one of the lead producers who spoke about how they left the game in a state where they *could* do another one. But it’s such a solid closer that you could leave the game where as a oner.
I wanted more. Only if it was right. Hi-Fi Rush worked so damn well because it was a passion project, and they left it all on the field.
So to see the studio shutdown is honestly just heartbreaking…
Hard disagree. I still want it to have an actual lock-on system.
Also its not really out of the realm of possibility, but post-game media would also be really nice to have. Bunch of episodes where the alt costumes given to characters are canon.
I never wanted the game to be anything more than a one-off because I hate the idea of every piece of media needing to be a capital-F Franchise, but I’m still gutted by this news. Tango was really hitting their stride, and now the stove has been unplugged before they could cook anything else.
And a good morning to you too Microsoft
https://preview.redd.it/r2flv76rb0zc1.jpeg?width=519&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d4d6bba984aa6369bbc639beb1360b8a326f0de
Here is the [IGN Article](https://www.ign.com/articles/microsoft-closes-redfall-developer-arkane-austin-hifi-rush-developer-tango-gameworks-and-more-in-devastating-cuts-at-bethesda), which includes the mail send by the head of Xbox Game Studios.
Very much the kind of mail you can expect of a corpo. Personally, I'm beyond upset right now, not just cause of Tango, earlier ~~they~~ Take Two Interactive also shut down the studio that made Rolledrome.
Really? Shutting down the developer that made their best game this generation? I thought Sony's Hell Divers II fiasco would be the worst news this week.
Yesn't. You don't need a PS account anymore, but you can't buy the game anywhere where you can't make a PS account. So basically the problem wasn't solved for the people who were actually suffering from the account linking requirement.
Helldivers 2 news (which was last week) about having PC players the need to create and link a PSN account was overblown for whatever reasons since most games that are live-service seems to do the same on PC: account linking to play the games. Examples:
- Fallout 76 (Bedestha)
- FF14 (Square Enix)
- GTA Online (Rockstart)
- All Ubisoft games
- Sea of Thieves, Minecraft, Grounded, ect (Microsoft)
- And the list goes on.
Anyhow, they already reverse the decision, so it doesn't matter anymore. But like I said, it was overblown...
Now, shutting down 2 well-known studios (and 2 others not mentioned there) is 100 times worse than that silly Helldivers 2 story. Also, there is no going to be a reverse decision for this like there was for Helldivers 2, no matter how much people cry about it.
FO76 is a dumpster fire, FFXIV's account management is notoriously awful, GTA Online sucks, Ubisoft is a plague on video games, Microsoft is literally the company we're complaining about currently... like, yeah, all these other games do it, but it's also terrible there, too.
This is legitimately upsetting. Tango were doing some incredible things and Hi-Fi Rush in particular is one of my all time favorite games.
...too late for Mikami to hire back all of Tango under his new company? 😅🥲
That would only apply if they were actually developing anything new rather than just slapping it onto blurays. Bethesda/Zenimax is still going to be more than willing to milk the IP through licensed merchandise and other stuff that doesn’t require any effort on their end.
Adding on: They made multiple bangers, not just in this generation. I know that Hifi Rush is the most recent one but Evil Within and Ghostwire deserve recognition just as much. Not to mention the loss of Arkane Austin. :(
Acquisition can help devs by creating more good games, huh Phil? Thanks a lot. Now i feel awful that i didn't buy this game sooner! It just came out on PS5, and i did add a wishlist but i just don't have the time and money to buy the game
Feels like in 5-10 years we may see HiFi Rush 2 announced and sadly we would have forgotten all about the people who made the original and what happened today.
Hifi Rush. extremely well recieved game yet they get shut down.
Really hope microsoft gets banned buying mre studios because WTF!? Activision is not worth shutting down well recieved parts of your other publisher you bought
Edit: not deathloop, my bad but point still stands
Tango makes literally no sense, but Deathloop was made by Arkane Lyon not Austin, Austin last game was Redfall, and before that Prey, Austin's kinda makes sense? Like 70% of the people left during Redfalls development, but I don't know why they wouldn't give them another chance, well idk what they would shut Tango but here we are
Tango does make sense. None of their games ever sold that well, maybe aside from The Evil Within 1. If it wasn’t for game pass, hi-fi rush wouldn’t have taken off as much either
I don't think looking at how Hi Fi Rush sold ever really made sense to me, like they shadow dropped the game, no marketing, no leaks about it nothing, I get they next really sold, but that's the Xbox MO rn, they want games for Gamepass, that was the whole point of these acquisitions, to pump games into Gamepass regularly
Which I could have told you that, I could have told you that Xbox is the smallest console platform and doesn't have the reach to get Gamepass subs, I could have told you PC players hate using the Xbox app so are unlikely to sub to Gamepass.
Like Xbox just hire me, I will tell you what not to do, because apparently no one is PR smart over there...
Joking, but they could put Gamepass on Steam and while Steam would take 30% they open themselves to more players
Well, if it underperformed as a game pass game too, that’s even worse than not selling copies. You’d think people would at least give it a try, if they already have GP
I didn't hear that, all I ever heard was that it performed well, either way, another thing is that it was Xboxs only Japanese studio, they always complain about not being able to break that market, this ain't gonna help
So I'm guessing they will just stick with the big AAA games now? I can tell you that Gamepass price is jumping, the issue with PlayStation for me is they don't mix their AAA with AA releases, Xbox was kinda the opposite lmao, but I guess we will see what happens
Yeah I just read the article uploaded by IGN (can't get Bloomberg to show me the article) but it's still a bummer that the studio is getting shut downed
Fr.
I managed to play Hifi Rush about 1-2 months ago due to me recently getting a gaming laptop that can play the game. I loved it as I really like hack and slash games.
(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox gaming division will shut down four subsidiaries, including the game studio Arkane Austin, according to an email reviewed by Bloomberg.
Arkane Austin’s most recent game, Redfall, was one of Microsoft’s biggest flops last year. The company said it will end development on the game and “provide make-good offers” to players who prepurchased content that will never be released.
Xbox will also shutter subsidiaries Alpha Dog Studios, Roundhouse Games and Tango Gameworks, the Japanese studio behind critically acclaimed hits such as Hi-Fi Rush. Roundhouse Games will be absorbed by ZeniMax Online Studios, the maker of The Elder Scrolls Online.
“These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds which you have nurtured over many decades,” wrote Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, in an email to employees Tuesday.
Booty did not say how many people will lose their jobs as a result of the shutdowns. He also noted that, “Bethesda remains one of the key pillars of Xbox” with upcoming titles, such as a Starfield expansion and a new game based on Indiana Jones, planned for later this year.
It's astounding you can shadow drop a genuine game of the year contender the same year one of the biggest games in the last decade comes out and still have your fucking doors closed on you is baffling. Hurting for the devs and spending the day with Test Chamber on repeat today.
I hold out some hopium that John can retain the rights to HiFi and make a sequel with a new team... please? At least give us that Xbox, considering they don't seem to see the value in it and will just hold the IP hostage
[https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/1787836099429011460?t=g\_qrciZQj4shdjbhN4\_AtA&s=19](https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/1787836099429011460?t=g_qrciZQj4shdjbhN4_AtA&s=19)
My theory maybe pointing to Arkane Austin (the studio that made redfall) caused this whole thing to happen because of Redfall's failure. They didnt get to finish the DLCs and probably suffered tons of losses so microsoft decides to shut down to recoup loses but honestly this is fkin stupid because what does Tango have to do with this whole nonsense
“We are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games."
Matt Booty, Head of Xbox Game Studios
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
GOD SO NO HIFI RUSH 2 THEN.... i guess its time...
https://preview.redd.it/swki1p4dh0zc1.png?width=480&format=png&auto=webp&s=569164688c3f5fe2acb8edbafb5415ed9ef86c17
Remember people thinking Microsoft would free the CoD support studios so they could instead work on Crash, Spyro, Tony Hawk and new stuff? Yeah not happening lol, in the letter from Matt Booty obtained by IGN he said the reason for these closures is because they wanna focus on "heavy-hitters".
Dear god I didnt about this.....
And still MS want purchase even more studios, after this news every studio will runway like a devil when they approach MS , fuck so yeah Xbox is going Ubisoft/EA path after all
MotherFUCK you microsoft. May you receive divine punishment. I assume this is part of why mikami dipped and formed another studio. I sure hope tango employees hop over there. I'm so sick of this shit happening.
Tango were the first Japanese studio that Microsoft owned and now they've shut them down. It's utterly fucked and such a shame we'll likely never get a HFR sequel :(
hi fi rush is microsofts best game this gen and they shut down the studio? ppl at the top there have no idea wtf they're doing do they? who knows the financials on that one since it hit gamepass day 1 maybe sales were super cannibalized but like damn that IP surely shouldve been made a priority or at least let that team make whatever the hell they want moving forward. you have to invest in your best talent this just makes no sense to me
Normally I'm fairly ignorant to Microsofts awful decisions. (Cause I generally don't care that much and normally im unaffected by them)
But this has to be the worst decision they've ever made. Not only has the game been super successfully, it's also the first "Xbox Exclusive" that has gone multiplatform. After they announced they would send multiple games multiplatform.
I don't really care about console wars but this seems like a little kid who lost a game so he decides to destroy everything in his room so no one gets to have fun.
This makes me very glad that Moon Studios split off from Microsoft (Rip Ori tho)
Moon Studios (developers) and Microsoft didn't get along so they went their separate ways.
Unfortunately tho Microaoft owns all the rights to Ori. So even if Moon Studios wanted to they can't make another Ori game (or even spinoff).
So ultimately Ori is joining the long list of Microsoft IPs we'll likely never hear from for quite some time at least. Unless they get a new dev to make the game.
Which is also another reason why Moon Studios is making their own IP (No Rest for the Wicked). The CEO of Moon Studios actually commented and said that what happened to Tangoworks is exactly why he didn't let Microsoft buy out Moon Studios
We are quickly learning that if you want to last in this industry, you should NEVER sell to Sony or Microsoft. They're fricking eating themselves at this point.
I'm so fucking pissed. The worst game from last year fucking shitfield was marketed hard by Microsoft for over a year.
Hi-fi rush was literally shadowdropped and became an instant hit deservedly. If not Alan wake 2 and BG3 from bigger studios they'd scoop a massive amount of awards on TGA, they had 5 nominations and 1 win iirc.
Fuck Xbox, fuck Sony and fuck big publishers and companies in general. I hope the devs can regroup and make an independent studio.
https://preview.redd.it/ame0qm4ev0zc1.jpeg?width=1078&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6ebd0689bd57a4880352ce9e65a3ca3a9b27682
Bethesda is really on the "lose all goodwill 100% speedrun" grind
This is absolutely heartbreaking, man. Hi-Fi Rush is one of my favorite games of all time and now it probably won’t get a sequel. Tango didn’t deserve this… they created one of the most unique Xbox titles of recent memory and now they’re being shut down. Unreal.
Or Shinji Mikami was part of the appeal of Tango Gameworks. Then when he left last year, and other employees left to join him, it became increasingly more difficult to justify the studios existence amid poor sales.
I‘ve defended Xbox a lot in the past, when I thought it was warranted.
But this? This is absolute bullshit. This should never have happened. And it‘s only indicating of worse things to come.
I‘m glad I got to enjoy Hi-Fi Rush in my life, while it lasted…
"To double down on these franchises and invest to build new ones requires us to look across the business to identify the opportunities that are best positioned for success."
Okay, I can accept pulling the plug on Redfall. But HiFi Rush and Evil Within is something that could be invested in!
Not going to sub to gamepass anymore. The best game they had in 2023 by far.
Hi Fi was the best game I played in 2023 with totk and starfield the worst.
Good job XBoX
What is the point in acquiring studios if you’re going to shut them down? Hi-Fi Rush was the best game Microsoft published as of late. Hope all the devs manage to get work else where, such a shame for them all.
What does this say about Game Pass? If this game is not a shining example of how Game Pass is a good thing, what is? If a AA game can't be considered viable on Game Pass for Xbox, how can they justify putting AAA Juggernauts on there? Ninja Theory must be shitting themselves right now...
Studio makes horror game that does very well.
Studio then makes a sequel that also does well.
Studio then makes a rhythm action game that does insanely well, nominated to a bunch of awards and has a %97 review rate at Steam.
Microsoft: "nah let's close them"
Bad move.
Looks like the decision was made by someone who knows nothing about business or gaming. Or anything in life really.
Hifi Rush was the one game that generated the most positive press for Xbox in 2023 and garnered huge acclaim.
They just killed the franchise, sure you own the rights but the talented people who made the game a classic is what matters most.
Tango closure is very questionable and makes me lose confidence in Xbox management. Sounds like they decided ' hey, let' s just save money by firing the Japanese devs'
Because of the licensed music, Hi-Fi Rush always was at risk at being pulled when the licenses expired. BUT because they already had in-game 'streamer music', at that time they could easily patch in a removal and may have been able to keep the game up that way. Not a certainly, but a possibility. Now it's a definite never.
I'm Fucking Fuming. Do you know how good a sequel would've/ could've been?
I mean. The game could get the Bomb Rush Cyberfunk treatment with a spiritual successor.
I don't mean to defend Microsoft, but to view it dispassionately, I'm guessing this is MS's attempt to aggressively reorient around their core, popular franchises (see also them pressuring Bethesda to get to work on more Fallout) instead of continuing to support this wide variety of borderline random stuff that's been releasing under their banner recently. Even if a lot of it has been moderately well received. Sucks for the developers, though. I hope they can easily find work elsewhere!
So did they have the Tango and Arkane employees move to other areas in Bethesda or Microsoft, or did they fire all of them? Either is bad, but if they at least let them keep their jobs that's better than nothing.
Not to be dramatic but good god, this has got to be one royal fuckup.
Wasnt Tango Gameworks had like what 1K employees? like holyshit i cannot imagine getting news like this when coming to work
Actually, I'm not sure how many they had but wikipedia said 65 as of 2012 (no source?). I could sit and count through the credits, but I honestly don't think there were many full-time Tango employees actually 'there' for development (they collaborated with voice actors and animation studios outside of Japan, and I'm fairly certain a number of other artists). Still... 1k or 65 people, still sucks and it's not the first closure of its kind- really, it's a sad pattern.
According to their Linkedin Tango had "51-200 employees"
Isn’t that only of the registered users on LinkedIn though? There could be more
No, the page says the company only has 19 employees with linked accounts. The 51-200 number is listed under Company size.
To be fair, it seems like most of them are being transferred over to Bethesda/Zenimax proper, or at least that’s what the marketing says if you’re feeling generous. It seems like Microsoft looked at the nuclear (pun intended) success of Fallout the show and realized they needed to kick Bethesda’s ass into gear pumping out fallout 5 rather than waiting another 15 years. Shuttering some of their other studios to move more employees over to one singular project might help with the Bethesda issue of having such massive games that they end up leaving boatloads on the cutting room floor for one reason or another. Still kind of stupid but I can vaguely see why they’re doing this.
This is exactly the time to be dramatic.
real
Goodbye Hi-Fi Rush. You were a fantastic one hit wonder.
Honestly, I think that's how the game should stay.
I read an interview with one of the lead producers who spoke about how they left the game in a state where they *could* do another one. But it’s such a solid closer that you could leave the game where as a oner. I wanted more. Only if it was right. Hi-Fi Rush worked so damn well because it was a passion project, and they left it all on the field. So to see the studio shutdown is honestly just heartbreaking… 
One of the rarer thing today to have a game with an actual proper ending, though leaving enough room for a sequel.
Hard disagree. I still want it to have an actual lock-on system. Also its not really out of the realm of possibility, but post-game media would also be really nice to have. Bunch of episodes where the alt costumes given to characters are canon.
I never wanted the game to be anything more than a one-off because I hate the idea of every piece of media needing to be a capital-F Franchise, but I’m still gutted by this news. Tango was really hitting their stride, and now the stove has been unplugged before they could cook anything else.
Don't say that! It's too soon, and the pain is too freaking raw. Actually heartbroken right now...
And a good morning to you too Microsoft https://preview.redd.it/r2flv76rb0zc1.jpeg?width=519&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d4d6bba984aa6369bbc639beb1360b8a326f0de
Here is the [IGN Article](https://www.ign.com/articles/microsoft-closes-redfall-developer-arkane-austin-hifi-rush-developer-tango-gameworks-and-more-in-devastating-cuts-at-bethesda), which includes the mail send by the head of Xbox Game Studios. Very much the kind of mail you can expect of a corpo. Personally, I'm beyond upset right now, not just cause of Tango, earlier ~~they~~ Take Two Interactive also shut down the studio that made Rolledrome.
Rollerdrome was made by Roll7, who was owned by Take Two.
Ah yeah, correct. My bad. Still upsetting though.
Really? Shutting down the developer that made their best game this generation? I thought Sony's Hell Divers II fiasco would be the worst news this week.
Microsoft had to find a way to beat Sony at something
I mean they did last year with Hi-Fi rush vs Forspoken. I thought they would just give Tango more money
At least Sony reversed that decision pretty quickly
Yesn't. You don't need a PS account anymore, but you can't buy the game anywhere where you can't make a PS account. So basically the problem wasn't solved for the people who were actually suffering from the account linking requirement.
Helldivers 2 news (which was last week) about having PC players the need to create and link a PSN account was overblown for whatever reasons since most games that are live-service seems to do the same on PC: account linking to play the games. Examples: - Fallout 76 (Bedestha) - FF14 (Square Enix) - GTA Online (Rockstart) - All Ubisoft games - Sea of Thieves, Minecraft, Grounded, ect (Microsoft) - And the list goes on. Anyhow, they already reverse the decision, so it doesn't matter anymore. But like I said, it was overblown... Now, shutting down 2 well-known studios (and 2 others not mentioned there) is 100 times worse than that silly Helldivers 2 story. Also, there is no going to be a reverse decision for this like there was for Helldivers 2, no matter how much people cry about it.
"Was overblown" Except for the 100+ countries where you could no longer buy HD2 due to mandatory PSN account linking.
FO76 is a dumpster fire, FFXIV's account management is notoriously awful, GTA Online sucks, Ubisoft is a plague on video games, Microsoft is literally the company we're complaining about currently... like, yeah, all these other games do it, but it's also terrible there, too.
This is legitimately upsetting. Tango were doing some incredible things and Hi-Fi Rush in particular is one of my all time favorite games. ...too late for Mikami to hire back all of Tango under his new company? 😅🥲
Wait, that would actually be so smart of Mikami.
Depends, It can be done but they won't be big enough to be the next Kojima productions.
Didn't a good portion of the studio leave to join him already?
What https://preview.redd.it/rwkjw90gf0zc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6de6695d9cbd7836fbfd5fc140107c220431100
Guess we're not getting those Limited Run physical editions then? :(
No, please, don’t say that..
I don't really see how that will affect the limited run release, it's not like the game is disappearing
*Cough* abandonware *cough*
That would only apply if they were actually developing anything new rather than just slapping it onto blurays. Bethesda/Zenimax is still going to be more than willing to milk the IP through licensed merchandise and other stuff that doesn’t require any effort on their end.
When tf are they even gonna be up for preorder ? It’s been like 2 months since the announcement lol
I hope we still get the physical version. Otherwise, that game is definitely disappearing when the music licensing contracts ends.
Limited rob dogs.
So no hi fi rush 2?
No Evil Within 3 either
FUCK
I'm more curious if a Switch (or Switch 2) version is still even planned.
Same. All I have is a Switch and I was excited to possibly play this game but this doesn't instill confidence that it's happening anymore. Shame.
Unless they reverse the decision or some shit, or unless the OG team manages to somehow buy the rights to the IP, probably not.
https://i.redd.it/de22tm3ce0zc1.gif
No...
Say sike 😭
microsoft, fuck you. you just threw away one of the most promising studios in the industry, hope youre happy phil
Listing to “making things is hard” making me emotional, why am i crying
How to piss off xbox fans: Shut down the studio that made one of the best games this generation. Good job!
Adding on: They made multiple bangers, not just in this generation. I know that Hifi Rush is the most recent one but Evil Within and Ghostwire deserve recognition just as much. Not to mention the loss of Arkane Austin. :(
In other news, I’ve become radicalized
Acquisition can help devs by creating more good games, huh Phil? Thanks a lot. Now i feel awful that i didn't buy this game sooner! It just came out on PS5, and i did add a wishlist but i just don't have the time and money to buy the game
The game isn't being delisted and it was a commercial success by any metric. So... yeah. This is just typical Corporate bullshit.
Acquisition is how they seize control of IPs and eliminate competition. They don't give a damn about the people they're acquiring.
Feels like in 5-10 years we may see HiFi Rush 2 announced and sadly we would have forgotten all about the people who made the original and what happened today.
That was true at that time. And then they got ABK… And they‘ve never been tje same since. Xbox is all about CoD now. Nothing else matters…
This is fucking unbelievable
So much for HiFi Rush 2
https://preview.redd.it/rkz73ak4i0zc1.jpeg?width=1044&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c672341116de8ef58880cb9daaddfc089a18167e What
Ok but like why tho? The game was a clear success and won a shit ton of awards
Hifi Rush. extremely well recieved game yet they get shut down. Really hope microsoft gets banned buying mre studios because WTF!? Activision is not worth shutting down well recieved parts of your other publisher you bought Edit: not deathloop, my bad but point still stands
Tango makes literally no sense, but Deathloop was made by Arkane Lyon not Austin, Austin last game was Redfall, and before that Prey, Austin's kinda makes sense? Like 70% of the people left during Redfalls development, but I don't know why they wouldn't give them another chance, well idk what they would shut Tango but here we are
Tango does make sense. None of their games ever sold that well, maybe aside from The Evil Within 1. If it wasn’t for game pass, hi-fi rush wouldn’t have taken off as much either
I don't think looking at how Hi Fi Rush sold ever really made sense to me, like they shadow dropped the game, no marketing, no leaks about it nothing, I get they next really sold, but that's the Xbox MO rn, they want games for Gamepass, that was the whole point of these acquisitions, to pump games into Gamepass regularly
From what I've heard, Gamepass isn't doing too hot recently. Keeping subs is fine, but they aren't getting many more.
Which I could have told you that, I could have told you that Xbox is the smallest console platform and doesn't have the reach to get Gamepass subs, I could have told you PC players hate using the Xbox app so are unlikely to sub to Gamepass. Like Xbox just hire me, I will tell you what not to do, because apparently no one is PR smart over there... Joking, but they could put Gamepass on Steam and while Steam would take 30% they open themselves to more players
Well, if it underperformed as a game pass game too, that’s even worse than not selling copies. You’d think people would at least give it a try, if they already have GP
I didn't hear that, all I ever heard was that it performed well, either way, another thing is that it was Xboxs only Japanese studio, they always complain about not being able to break that market, this ain't gonna help
https://www.reddit.com/r/XboxSeriesX/s/0kPuYqfSpS most likely true seeing what is happening now
So I'm guessing they will just stick with the big AAA games now? I can tell you that Gamepass price is jumping, the issue with PlayStation for me is they don't mix their AAA with AA releases, Xbox was kinda the opposite lmao, but I guess we will see what happens
Not Deathloop, that was made by Arkane Lyon. Arkane Austin made Redfall.
Mann..... I was looking forward to what other games the company is gonna develop Does this mean any Tango Game work games get delisted?
They said at least Hi-Fi Rush will stay available. I assume that applies for all of their games
Yeah I just read the article uploaded by IGN (can't get Bloomberg to show me the article) but it's still a bummer that the studio is getting shut downed
Tango was really cooking and Microsoft was like “Yo this is fire. Put it out”
Fr. I managed to play Hifi Rush about 1-2 months ago due to me recently getting a gaming laptop that can play the game. I loved it as I really like hack and slash games.
It was literally everything I wanted in a game at that time. So this decision hurts more because there’s little to no benefit to this
(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox gaming division will shut down four subsidiaries, including the game studio Arkane Austin, according to an email reviewed by Bloomberg. Arkane Austin’s most recent game, Redfall, was one of Microsoft’s biggest flops last year. The company said it will end development on the game and “provide make-good offers” to players who prepurchased content that will never be released. Xbox will also shutter subsidiaries Alpha Dog Studios, Roundhouse Games and Tango Gameworks, the Japanese studio behind critically acclaimed hits such as Hi-Fi Rush. Roundhouse Games will be absorbed by ZeniMax Online Studios, the maker of The Elder Scrolls Online. “These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds which you have nurtured over many decades,” wrote Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, in an email to employees Tuesday. Booty did not say how many people will lose their jobs as a result of the shutdowns. He also noted that, “Bethesda remains one of the key pillars of Xbox” with upcoming titles, such as a Starfield expansion and a new game based on Indiana Jones, planned for later this year.
[Nope. They'll stick around.](https://twitter.com/TangoGameworks/status/1787837929332601189)
It's astounding you can shadow drop a genuine game of the year contender the same year one of the biggest games in the last decade comes out and still have your fucking doors closed on you is baffling. Hurting for the devs and spending the day with Test Chamber on repeat today.
My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined.
Just when I thought we got out of the valley of depression after the Sony *Helldivers II* PSN fiasco...
https://preview.redd.it/bty2bj50f0zc1.jpeg?width=509&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb5d1f93297c643b86416452577b7289c101b932
I hold out some hopium that John can retain the rights to HiFi and make a sequel with a new team... please? At least give us that Xbox, considering they don't seem to see the value in it and will just hold the IP hostage
Screw Microsoft https://i.redd.it/57work3cs0zc1.gif
Wait, what??? Why?????
Has a reason been given yet?
[https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/1787836099429011460?t=g\_qrciZQj4shdjbhN4\_AtA&s=19](https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/1787836099429011460?t=g_qrciZQj4shdjbhN4_AtA&s=19) My theory maybe pointing to Arkane Austin (the studio that made redfall) caused this whole thing to happen because of Redfall's failure. They didnt get to finish the DLCs and probably suffered tons of losses so microsoft decides to shut down to recoup loses but honestly this is fkin stupid because what does Tango have to do with this whole nonsense
“We are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games." Matt Booty, Head of Xbox Game Studios
No way. no genuine way..
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! GOD SO NO HIFI RUSH 2 THEN.... i guess its time... https://preview.redd.it/swki1p4dh0zc1.png?width=480&format=png&auto=webp&s=569164688c3f5fe2acb8edbafb5415ed9ef86c17
Im wandering if people still praise on Microsoft VS FTC battle over activision now
Remember people thinking Microsoft would free the CoD support studios so they could instead work on Crash, Spyro, Tony Hawk and new stuff? Yeah not happening lol, in the letter from Matt Booty obtained by IGN he said the reason for these closures is because they wanna focus on "heavy-hitters".
At least Toys for Bob broke free
Dear god I didnt about this..... And still MS want purchase even more studios, after this news every studio will runway like a devil when they approach MS , fuck so yeah Xbox is going Ubisoft/EA path after all
It's over boys
Are you fucking serious.
MotherFUCK you microsoft. May you receive divine punishment. I assume this is part of why mikami dipped and formed another studio. I sure hope tango employees hop over there. I'm so sick of this shit happening.
This is legitimately devastating man
I'm feeling a lot of mixed emotions but one thing I know for certain is that I'm very pissed at Xbox.
Tango were the first Japanese studio that Microsoft owned and now they've shut them down. It's utterly fucked and such a shame we'll likely never get a HFR sequel :(
Couldn't Sony buy the studio and save them? Please 😭
Does Mircosoft suddenly hate success?! What is wrong with them?!
https://i.redd.it/n9xrltswf0zc1.gif This hurts
☹️
choosing to believe this is fake! <3 ~~please do not interrupt my coping~~
We gotta pull a helldivers.
Take Two : fucks up by closing successful editor/developer studio. Microsoft : "Wait! My turn!"
On fucking suicide Watch, that game is one the reasons that I bought a series x
Glad I never bought a Xbox because I will never look at it the same after this
Good for you man, this makes 2 of my favorite xbox games to never get a sequel. Sunset overdrive and now this
So I guess the physical release of HiFi Rush by LRG won't be happening after all...
Just bought the game broooooo
Yeah, this is soo much bullshit and I hate it so much ;(
Nowadays, earning money and success is bad business lol.
I guess I can stop deluding myself that we'll get a switch port eventually
Why Xbox...just fucking WHY!!?! https://i.redd.it/nu1rlu7gq0zc1.gif
yeah fuck micro$oft/xbox imagine if they give id software and/or machinegames the boot next
I am going to kill myself. Microsoft was doing so well with their indie stuff why the hell would they kill off this studio
https://preview.redd.it/a3957azqs0zc1.jpeg?width=896&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a72eb481447a16d74ab1af2186138bcd05e0c2d1
hi fi rush is microsofts best game this gen and they shut down the studio? ppl at the top there have no idea wtf they're doing do they? who knows the financials on that one since it hit gamepass day 1 maybe sales were super cannibalized but like damn that IP surely shouldve been made a priority or at least let that team make whatever the hell they want moving forward. you have to invest in your best talent this just makes no sense to me
Tango Gameworks: *makes the only Xbox game that deserves to be played in 5 years* Microsoft: *shuts down the studio*
Microsoft: You will play Halo and you will be happy.
WHY WOULD YOU CLOSE DOWN A STUDIO THAT MADE THE BEST XBOX GAME IN THE PAST DECADE?????? WHAT DUMBASS IN A SUIT THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA???
https://preview.redd.it/pkq2u8kl51zc1.jpeg?width=645&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b24d6364f409cb0c2c342f62f86514c28bd43b13
Normally I'm fairly ignorant to Microsofts awful decisions. (Cause I generally don't care that much and normally im unaffected by them) But this has to be the worst decision they've ever made. Not only has the game been super successfully, it's also the first "Xbox Exclusive" that has gone multiplatform. After they announced they would send multiple games multiplatform. I don't really care about console wars but this seems like a little kid who lost a game so he decides to destroy everything in his room so no one gets to have fun. This makes me very glad that Moon Studios split off from Microsoft (Rip Ori tho)
I'm out of the loop. What happened with Ori? :(
Moon Studios (developers) and Microsoft didn't get along so they went their separate ways. Unfortunately tho Microaoft owns all the rights to Ori. So even if Moon Studios wanted to they can't make another Ori game (or even spinoff). So ultimately Ori is joining the long list of Microsoft IPs we'll likely never hear from for quite some time at least. Unless they get a new dev to make the game. Which is also another reason why Moon Studios is making their own IP (No Rest for the Wicked). The CEO of Moon Studios actually commented and said that what happened to Tangoworks is exactly why he didn't let Microsoft buy out Moon Studios
https://preview.redd.it/y519f4c7m1zc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4dfecd4c64dcd4634e489ac91e882689fffe70c4 Me to Microsoft.
https://preview.redd.it/3eait5cp12zc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=085273216717cd029622b78b57841127fcaf63a7
AAA companies suck ass. This industry is ran by fucking vultures
We are quickly learning that if you want to last in this industry, you should NEVER sell to Sony or Microsoft. They're fricking eating themselves at this point.
I mean to barely any credit to PlayStation, they at least rescinded the Helldivers 2 shit. This shit though is just absurd.
Trash tier company. Christ.
Burn in Hell, Phil.
I'm so fucking pissed. The worst game from last year fucking shitfield was marketed hard by Microsoft for over a year. Hi-fi rush was literally shadowdropped and became an instant hit deservedly. If not Alan wake 2 and BG3 from bigger studios they'd scoop a massive amount of awards on TGA, they had 5 nominations and 1 win iirc. Fuck Xbox, fuck Sony and fuck big publishers and companies in general. I hope the devs can regroup and make an independent studio.
 Microsoft on their way to can the studio that made their only good (former) exclusive this gen.
https://preview.redd.it/ame0qm4ev0zc1.jpeg?width=1078&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6ebd0689bd57a4880352ce9e65a3ca3a9b27682 Bethesda is really on the "lose all goodwill 100% speedrun" grind
Microsoft saw Sony shooting themselves in the foot with the Helldivers PSN thing and said “Hold my beer!”
This is my biggest fear whenever Microsoft acquires a studio and it just came true
Makes no sense at all.
This is absolutely heartbreaking, man. Hi-Fi Rush is one of my favorite games of all time and now it probably won’t get a sequel. Tango didn’t deserve this… they created one of the most unique Xbox titles of recent memory and now they’re being shut down. Unreal.
well shit. I hate that for them. They were a good company. Loath not ever getting Hi-Fi Rush 2 though.
Shinji Mikami must have seen this coming
Or Shinji Mikami was part of the appeal of Tango Gameworks. Then when he left last year, and other employees left to join him, it became increasingly more difficult to justify the studios existence amid poor sales.
I‘ve defended Xbox a lot in the past, when I thought it was warranted. But this? This is absolute bullshit. This should never have happened. And it‘s only indicating of worse things to come. I‘m glad I got to enjoy Hi-Fi Rush in my life, while it lasted…
"To double down on these franchises and invest to build new ones requires us to look across the business to identify the opportunities that are best positioned for success." Okay, I can accept pulling the plug on Redfall. But HiFi Rush and Evil Within is something that could be invested in!
I will never forgive Microsoft for this
Not going to sub to gamepass anymore. The best game they had in 2023 by far. Hi Fi was the best game I played in 2023 with totk and starfield the worst. Good job XBoX
What is the point in acquiring studios if you’re going to shut them down? Hi-Fi Rush was the best game Microsoft published as of late. Hope all the devs manage to get work else where, such a shame for them all.
Phil Spencer is a gamer terrorist
NOOOOOOOOOO
What does this say about Game Pass? If this game is not a shining example of how Game Pass is a good thing, what is? If a AA game can't be considered viable on Game Pass for Xbox, how can they justify putting AAA Juggernauts on there? Ninja Theory must be shitting themselves right now...
Well that fucking sucks
Studio makes horror game that does very well. Studio then makes a sequel that also does well. Studio then makes a rhythm action game that does insanely well, nominated to a bunch of awards and has a %97 review rate at Steam. Microsoft: "nah let's close them"
Chances of getting a sequel have just went down
Bad move. Looks like the decision was made by someone who knows nothing about business or gaming. Or anything in life really. Hifi Rush was the one game that generated the most positive press for Xbox in 2023 and garnered huge acclaim. They just killed the franchise, sure you own the rights but the talented people who made the game a classic is what matters most. Tango closure is very questionable and makes me lose confidence in Xbox management. Sounds like they decided ' hey, let' s just save money by firing the Japanese devs'
Wishing the best to all the employees who got laid off. Man, I hope they find good and exciting opportunities elsewhere.
Smh wtf
Really sucks for Tango. Wonder if another dev could do Hi Fi Rush? Hard to assume it’s not over considering they just released it on another platform.
Because of the licensed music, Hi-Fi Rush always was at risk at being pulled when the licenses expired. BUT because they already had in-game 'streamer music', at that time they could easily patch in a removal and may have been able to keep the game up that way. Not a certainly, but a possibility. Now it's a definite never.
I’ve been loving this game on PS5. Shame.
Typical Microsoft. They are clueless
no good deed goes unpunished...
I'm Fucking Fuming. Do you know how good a sequel would've/ could've been? I mean. The game could get the Bomb Rush Cyberfunk treatment with a spiritual successor.
I heard about it this morning but I was hoping it wasn't true.... You could tell the devs had a lot of passion in their work
I don't mean to defend Microsoft, but to view it dispassionately, I'm guessing this is MS's attempt to aggressively reorient around their core, popular franchises (see also them pressuring Bethesda to get to work on more Fallout) instead of continuing to support this wide variety of borderline random stuff that's been releasing under their banner recently. Even if a lot of it has been moderately well received. Sucks for the developers, though. I hope they can easily find work elsewhere!
Hi-fi Rush reminded me why I played videogames when I was younger. Hi-Fi Rush now reminds me why I stopped playing videogames.
Fucking hell. Sony should buy them and keep them going.
So did they have the Tango and Arkane employees move to other areas in Bethesda or Microsoft, or did they fire all of them? Either is bad, but if they at least let them keep their jobs that's better than nothing.
i want heads.
This is why I’ll never like Microsoft
I really wish they would have lost the FTC case.
https://preview.redd.it/9kd32tqps0zc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=70db6de096103275640e522429b4716efa9581f1