Steam users are leaving positive reviews for Hi-Fi Rush following Microsoft’s shock decision to shut down its developer, Tango Gameworks.
Microsoft announced the closure of Tango Gameworks as well as Redfall developer Arkane Austin this week as part of devastating layoffs at Bethesda owner ZeniMax.
Tango Gameworks’ critically acclaimed rhythm action game Hi-Fi Rush was deemed a success upon launch. It went straight to Game Pass on Xbox and PC and was sold outside of the subscription service for $30. IGN’s review of Hi-Fi Rush gave it a 9/10. We said: “Hi-Fi Rush marches to the beat of its own drum with stunning animation, likeable characters and stylish rhythm action that’s anything but one-note.”
Last year, amid reports that Hi-Fi Rush wasn’t selling well enough, Aaron Greenberg, vice president of Xbox games marketing, insisted that Hi-Fi Rush “was a breakthrough for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations. We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks has delivered with this surprising release.”
On Wednesday, May 8, Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty told Bethesda employees that “we need smaller games that give us prestige and rewards” — just a day after Microsoft shut down Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks.
Tango Gameworks staff responded to Booty’s reported statement with posts on social media expressing their clear annoyance with the situation. John Johannas, creative director at Tango Gameworks and director of Hi-Fi Rush, reacted to Booty’s quote in a devastating way:
https://t.co/Cz2fW01QVc pic.twitter.com/ADV4ZTpIuP
— johnjohanas (@johnjohanas) May 9, 2024
Kazuaki Egashira, game project manager at Tango Gameworks, offered his own idea:
Not enough?#HiFiRush #TangoGameworks pic.twitter.com/3OLhYAPbxU
— KazuakiEgashira (@ega1002) May 9, 2024
Hi-Fi Rush, which peaked at 6,132 concurrent players on Steam when it launched in January 2023, has seen a surge in players on Valve’s platform since this week’s announcement and is now the subject of a bombastic campaign with positive reviews from users who are outraged by Microsoft’s closure of Tango Gameworks.
“RIP Tango Gameworks,” reads one review. “At least they went out with a bang.” “Hi-Fi Rush was the best game published by Xbox in over a decade, won awards and was loved by everyone,” reads another. “Microsoft’s response is to shut them down, and that’s stupid. Hi-Fi Rush is worth playing 1000%, please buy this game and experience one of the best action hero games. I fear that due to the licensed music it will be removed from the list in the future because MS clearly doesn’t care. Tango, Arkane Austin and everyone affected today do not deserve this.”
At the time of this article’s publication, Hi-Fi Rush had over 500 positive reviews posted following the news of Tango Gameworks’ closure, a figure that will likely grow over the weekend as more Steam users flock on board. That’s not a huge number compared to some other review bombardment campaigns, but it’s a significant change for Hi-Fi Rush, which had been tracking positive reviews in the single digits for months.
Meanwhile, Limited Run Games has indicated that it still plans to release the previously announced physical version of Hi-Fi Rush despite the closure of Tango Gameworks. Last week, the long-rumored Nintendo Switch port of Hi-Fi Rush appeared age-rated by the ESRB. The game launched on the PlayStation 5 earlier this year as part of Microsoft’s multi-platform video game lineup.
Why did Microsoft close Tango Gameworks? Xbox CEO Sarah Bond offered an answer in a recent interview. IGN understands that the presentation of Hi-Fi Rush 2 was rejected in part because it was deemed too expensive.
Wesley is the UK news editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or privately at wyp100@proton.me.
