Hi-Fi Rush - From Tango Gameworks!

Why does everything wrong in the world just lead back to Capitalism Is Bad?

Food for thought... The game has licensed music and the devs were probably eventually planning a patch for a forced Streamer mode version when it expires.

Instead the game now has a limited shelflife.

@Discar

Oh for sure. Not saying I agree with that BS mode of operation, just repeating the points made in the video.

They do have a streamer mode with original tracks

I've seen some people mention Hi-Fi Rush garnering 3 million "sales", but all that I've seen from Tango's actual promotion is "players", including those on Gamepass not paying full price for the game in the nature of a standard sale. This is compared to the also meaningless 12 million "players" for Starfield, considering Gamepass. But at least from Circana's top 10 selling games of 2023, quoted by Gamespot, it was the 11th best selling game at least in the US. So basically, as much as this stings, there's a decent chance that this game was not a financial success overall, and mentions I've seen of Tango (and Arkane Austin) taking the bullet for the "flop" Starfield seem pretty ridiculous frankly.

That being said Aaron Greenburg said it "was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations", so that seems to have been straight out a lie.

EDIT: Few mistakes.

Edited by PolarSniper on May 8th 2024 at 4:10:17 PM

Got to be the worst possible time for this, but Humble Bundle is offering the game as part of this month's Humble Choice for USD 12, alongside a few other titles including Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Steel Rising.

I mean if it got 3 million players at one point, and it wasnt sales, then it was through gamepass subscriptions.

So ya know, either way Microsoft looking like fools.

An unnamed source told a paywalled Bloomberg that Tango was working on a sequel when they were closed.

I hope the director of Hifi Rush gets the people laid off from Tango. Then they make their own spiritual successor and it never lands on an Xbox platform

(*punches a wall in anger*)

I never want to look at an Xbox anymore.

If this game gets on a Nintendo anytime soon I'm not buying it unless its from a used copy.

So, the reason Tango and other studios were closed down was because ZeniMax had to consolidate in order to help the Xbox bottom line. To accomplish this demand, they looked at which of their studios were actively developing games and which were between projects, and killed the ones that were in the latter group. Knowing the method to the madness doesn't make it any less mad, but there's the context.

Edited by RacattackForce on May 8th 2024 at 5:13:44 AM

The Verge posted an article about Microsoft saying they need games like Hi-Fi Rush… right after…

https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/8/24152137/xbox-hi-fi-rush-tango-gameworks-matt-booty

So… they killed a studio that just released a successful game… because it wasn’t actively developing the next game… even though they were planing to pitch the next game- WHAT KIND OF LOGIC?

No, really. Someone please tell me what must have been going through their heads. Please.

Edited by BigBadShadow25 on May 8th 2024 at 9:33:44 AM

Money, my dear boy/girl.

Shareholders, as is always the answer.

Admitting to them that Starfield bombed for what it was is much harder than pretending HFR was supposed to be able to carry the entire Xbox brand.

Edited by Grounder on May 8th 2024 at 6:51:28 AM

So they hyped up Hi-Fi Rush and then killed any chance of a sequel. Logical.

If you give capitalism a forest full of fruit trees, they won't harvest the fruit. They won't even cut the trees down to sell for lumber. They'll burn the forest down because they can get a better deal for the ash, then use that money to buy another forest.

Edited by ShirowShirow on May 8th 2024 at 7:56:21 AM

Don't forget that the people who canceled the game are probably not the ones who greenlit a sequel. Corporations are big organizations, and one random manager might have his bonus riding on "make sure our stocks go up by half a percent next week by any means necessary" while the one who approves projects is just "yeah, you guys can definitely take a break after your successful game."

But yes, it is still the fault of capitalism and the stock market. We really, really need to get around to regulating and reforming the stock market.

Oh no they can have a sequel they still own the IP.

I'm not even joking, this legit is likely part of the thinking.

Good luck bringing back the creator of the game! He’s plenty upset!

You know it's bad when someone decides to up and nuke Phil Spencer's camp in Fallout 76!

How's that for karma?

It's no karma at all? Like literally no consequence.

I mean I do absolutely endorse griefing rich people online consistently on principle but no, I don't think it actually matters any.

So apparently Microsoft is in the red after the Acti Blizzard purchase and they were hoping to make back the money back quick but time catch up to them so they "have to" close a bunch of studioes.

Or they could have, you know, explore other avenues to not be in the red?

Like, have the bosses take cuts from their paychecks? Or give some studios the option of going indie with first-look deals?

I don't know, maybe I'm being wacky.