It was a surprising bit of feel-good news when Krafton, which publishes the hit battle royale PUBG, swooped in to buy Hi-Fi Rush maker Tango Gameworks after it was suddenly shut down by Microsoft amid budget cuts earlier this year. While that deal still isn’t fully finalized, Krafton’s CEO says helping the studio make Hi-Fi Rush 2 is about legacy rather than making money.
The first game in the colorful rhythm hack-and-slash series was a 2023 GOTY favorite, and seemed to be exactly the type of first-party exclusive Microsoft was trying to build with its recent investments in Xbox studios and Game Pass. Representatives for the company even suggested it had performed well and it seemed like a sequel might do even better. So it was shocking when Microsoft revealed instead that Tango would be one of four teams shuttered last spring. Why, exactly, did Krafton decide to try to save the studio months later?
“We wanted to maintain their legacy,” CEO Changhan ‘CH’ Kim told Game Developer in a new interview. “Although they did not have a big success in their games, we saw many creatives worth pursuing. That’s why we wanted to work with that organization.”
He continued:
We can’t acquire Tango Gameworks based on their financials or their numbers, right? We don’t think Hi-Fi Rush 2 is going to make us money, to be frank. But it’s part of our attempt. We have to keep trying [to develop games] in the spirit of challenge-taking. Tango Gameworks are creative. They want to try something new, and we want to do more of that. [Making] video games is really a hit or miss industry, and that is risk taking. But having more project lineups is actually a way to mitigate risk, because one of them might work out.
While about 50 of Tango Gameworks’ former employees, including Hi-Fi Rush director John Johanas, were brought over to Krafton as part of the deal, Kim said he hopes to get the number back up to 100, which is roughly what he believes would be needed for making the sequel. The CEO also got a little philosophical about game making, and argued that making hits shouldn’t be the goal. “I don’t trust people who say ‘oh, this is going to be a hit,’” he told Game Developer. “I want someone who can try something new.”
That seemed to be exactly what Microsoft, which has struggled with establishing new franchises and delivering breakout first-party games, needed. GamesIndustry.biz head Christopher Dring juxtaposed the company’s treatment of Hi-Fi Rush with Sony’s nurturing of Astro Bot, which was built up over years from PSVR sideshow into 2024 GOTY contender. “Hi-Fi Rush is a wonderful game,” he tweeted last month. “The exact sort of unique franchise with Japanese appeal that Xbox always wanted…but instead of developing and nurturing it, they’ve given it away. Show a bit more patience!”
Hopefully, Krafton does exactly that.