Earlier this year the games industry was stunned to learn Microsoft had shut down the only team to deliver a true-blue smash hit on its platform by closing Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks.
Tango wasn’t the only studio shut down in that announcement, but it was arguably the most perplexing (that’s being generous) choice among the shutdowns. Regardless it looked like that was the end of Tango, and if the people who made up the studio re-surfaced, it would likely be in the formation of a new team.
Turns out that’s not at all the case because Tango Gameworks is officially back. After Microsoft announced its closure, PUBG developer Krafton worked to acquire the studio, and on Monday the team announced that Tango and the Hi-Fi Rush IP had fully been acquired by Krafton, including Tango’s incredibly talented developers.
In a press release Krafton called the move part of a “strategic integration” that would serve to “strengthen [Krafton’s] global presence.”
And to the delight of everyone, Krafton also confirmed that this won’t impact any of Tango Gameworks previous releases – players will still be able to access them everywhere they already can access them. So if you had been playing either of The Evil Within games on Game Pass or a similar service, you’ll be able to continue doing so.
It’s unclear though if Krafton also acquired the IP for the rest of Tango’s catalog, or just Hi-Fi Rush.
“As part of this strategic agreement, KRAFTON intends to collaborate with Xbox and ZeniMax to ensure a smooth transition and maintain continuity at Tango Gameworks, allowing the talented team to continue developing the Hi-Fi RUSH IP and explore future projects.
KRAFTON intends to support the Tango Gameworks team to continue its commitment to innovation and delivering fresh and exciting experiences for fans. There will be no impact on the existing game catalog of The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and the original Hi-Fi RUSH game, and they will remain available everywhere they are available today.
This integration reinforces KRAFTON’s dedication to expanding its global footprint and enhancing its portfolio with innovative and high-quality content. The addition of Tango Gameworks represents a strategic alignment with KRAFTON’s mission to push the boundaries of interactive entertainment.”
The best part about this announcement is that rather than being closed, Tango gets to live on and the people who made it such a special place get to keep doing that. And as a nice bonus there’s now a much, much better chance of an actual sequel to Hi-Fi Rush finding its way onto consoles and PC.
All that said, Krafton playing the savior here should not mean we throw caution to the wind and being praising the PUBG developer.
Right now it’s easy to say that life under Krafton is better than outright closure for Tango and its developers. Hopefully that continues to be easy to say, and Tango’s developers aren’t going from the short end of one stick to an even shorter one.
Source – [Krafton Press Release]