It was a surprising feel-good news when Krafton, publisher of the successful Battle Royale PUBGbought Hi-Fi noise Manufacturer Tango Gameworks, after it suddenly closed by Microsoft amid budget cuts earlier this year. Although that deal is not yet fully finalized, Krafton’s CEO says the studio’s support Hi-Fi Rush 2 It’s more about inheritance than about making money.
The first game in the colorful rhythm hack-and-slash series was a 2023 GOTY Favoriteand seemed to be exactly the kind of first-party exclusivity that Microsoft was looking to build with its recent investments in Xbox Studios and Game Pass. Company officials even suggested that it had gone well and that it looked like a sequel could go even better. So it was shocking when Microsoft instead announced that Tango would be one of four teams shut down last spring. Why exactly did Krafton decide to trying to save the studio months later
“We wanted to preserve their legacy,” said CEO Changhan ‘CH’ Kim Game developer in a new interview. “Although they didn’t have much success with their games, we saw a lot of creative ideas that were worth pursuing. That’s why we wanted to work with this organization.”
He continued:
We can’t acquire Tango Gameworks based on their finances or their numbers, can we? We don’t think Hi-Fi Rush 2 will make us money, to be honest. But it is part of our attempt. We have to keep trying [to develop games] in the spirit of challenge. Tango Gameworks are creative. They want to try something new, and we want to do more of it. [Making] Video games are a hit-or-miss industry, and that’s risky. But having multiple projects in the pipeline is actually a way to mitigate the risk, because one of them might work.
While about 50 former employees of Tango Gameworks, including Hi-Fi noise Director John Johanas, were brought to Krafton as part of the deal, Kim said he hopes to get the number back to 100, which he said is about the number needed to make the sequel. The CEO also got a bit philosophical about game development, arguing that creating hits shouldn’t be the goal. “I don’t trust people who say, ‘Oh, this is going to be a hit,'” he said Game developer
This seemed to be exactly what Microsoft needed, which was struggling to establish new franchises and deliver groundbreaking first-party games. GamesIndustry.biz CEO Christopher Dring presented the company’s handling of Hi-Fi noise with Sony’s support of Astro Botwhich was built over the years from the PSVR side show in 2024 GOTY contenders. “Hi-Fi noise is a wonderful game”, tweeted last month. “Exactly the kind of unique franchise with Japanese charm that Xbox always wanted… but instead of developing and promoting it, they gave it away. Show a little more patience!”
Hopefully Krafton does just that.
