We have received more insights into Tango Gameworks’ project prior to their shutdown by Microsoft earlier this year. The studio was later acquired and revitalized by Krafton.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Maria Park, Krafton’s head of corporate development, disclosed that Tango was working on the sequel to Hi-Fi Rush when Microsoft’s decision came through. The team had a six-month-old build to share with Krafton during the negotiations. Although Tango had proposed the sequel earlier, it wasn’t confirmed if development had begun at that time.
Park mentioned that work on the sequel is currently paused until the IP acquisition is finalized, after which the new Tango under Krafton’s ownership will resume development.
“We are in no hurry to rush out the sequel to market. Our priority is to ensure that the quality of the sequel goes beyond the community’s expectations,” Park stressed.
Additionally, a team at Tango was also engaged in developing anniversary content for The Evil Within, a spiritual successor to Resident Evil led by Tango founder Shinji Mikami, which was launched on October 14, 2014. While this series is often overlooked, it offers captivating atmosphere and a distinctive blend of gameplay genres from survival horror to open-world exploration. Its sequel, The Evil Within 2, will celebrate its seventh anniversary on October 13.
However, Park confirmed that Krafton’s acquisition only covers the rights to Hi-Fi Rush and not any of Tango’s other franchises which include The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo, that remain with Microsoft. This has been Krafton’s stance since the studio acquisition was announced.
“While acquiring all the IPs would have been ideal, we respected Microsoft’s approach to the IP sale and focused primarily on discussions concerning Hi-Fi Rush to streamline the negotiation process,” Park explained.
Microsoft abruptly closed Tango, along with Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Studios, and internal support studio Roundhouse Games, in May as part of their strategy to prioritize high-impact titles and invest further in Bethesda’s portfolio of popular games and worlds, as stated by Xbox Game Studios head, Matt Booty. These former Bethesda studios transitioned to Xbox after Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax Media, was acquired by Microsoft in 2021.
The fate of Hi-Fi Rush was of particular interest due to its critical acclaim and large player base following its release in 2023, largely attributed to Xbox Game Pass (though Microsoft has not disclosed sales numbers for the game). Furthermore, the game had recently been made available on PlayStation 5.
