Microsoft says it needs games like Hi-Fi Rush the day after killing its studio

Today, 1 time aft Microsoft announced that it would unopen down 4 of its games studios, Matt Booty, caput of Xbox Game Studios, held a municipality hallway to talk nan division’s early goals. “We request smaller games that springiness america prestige and awards,” Booty told employees, according to soul remarks shared pinch The Verge.

For immoderate listeners connected nan call, it was a astonishing goal: Microsoft had conscionable unopen down nan Japanese developer Tango Gameworks, which was coming disconnected nan small, prestigious deed title Hi-Fi Rush.

Hi-Fi Rush, which was a surprise merchandise past year, was praised for its invention and charm. The hit action crippled featured euphony by The Black Keys and Nine Inch Nails, pinch an creation style that evoked nan hyper-stylized games of nan PS2 era. Just 4 months aft its release, Hi-Fi Rush hit 3 cardinal players. During nan 2023–2024 awards season, nan crippled went connected to triumph a Game Award, a Game Developers Choice award, and a BAFTA.

While Microsoft hasn’t shared income data, it was apparently happy pinch nan game. When rumors swirled that it wasn’t doing good commercially, Aaron Greenberg, vice president of Xbox games marketing, wrote connected X that Hi-Fi Rush “was a break retired deed for america and our players successful each cardinal measurements and expectations.”

By each accounts, including Microsoft’s own, Tango Gameworks made a deed and thing wholly dissimilar thing it’s made before. Before Hi-Fi Rush, Tango Gameworks was known exclusively for its endurance scary games, including The Evil Within series and Ghostwire: Tokyo. In an question and reply pinch Kinda Funny Games, Xbox caput Phil Spencer said astir really important it was for Xbox to let studios to make games extracurricular their comfortableness zones.

“I want to springiness nan teams nan imaginative level to spell and push their ability, push their aspirations,” Spencer said.

Hi-Fi Rush besides represented Microsoft’s committedness to bringing Japanese exclusives to nan console. In an question and reply pinch Game Watch, a Japanese video crippled media outlet, Spencer praised Hi-Fi Rush for its “high quality” and said that players could “expect” to spot much AAA titles from Japan, evoking nan days erstwhile Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon were some exclusives connected nan Xbox 360. “While location are titles we can’t denote yet,” Spencer said successful nan September 2023 interview, translated by VGC, “we are presently processing caller games successful collaboration pinch Japanese companies.” It’s worthy wondering if that’s still nan scheme now that Tango is unopen down.

While we don’t cognize precisely what income goals Microsoft had for Hi-Fi Rush, intelligibly location is simply a demonstrated appetite for this benignant of game, pinch Tango Gameworks positioned perfectly to present it. In fact, according to a study from Bloomberg, Tango Gameworks was successful nan process of pitching a sequel to Hi-Fi Rush before it sewage unopen down.

With Hi-Fi Rush, Tango Gameworks gave Microsoft conscionable what Booty says he wants: a small, creatively unique, highly praised, award-winning game. Booty’s comments, then, propose that Xbox’s leaders couldn’t admit what they had connected their hands — or simply didn’t cognize really to return advantage of nan occurrence they were seeking out.

We reached retired to Microsoft for comment.