Well, this is certainly a pleasant surprise. After Microsoft announced it would be shutting down Tango Gameworks along with Arkane Austin in May, 2024, it has recently been announced that the South Korean software publisher, Krafton, would be acquiring Tango Gameworks and the Hi-Fi Rush IP from Microsoft. Microsoft will retain the rights to the The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo IPs but the deal nonetheless ensures that Tango will remain operating. In its official press release announcing the deal, Krafton emphasize that they hope to assist Tango to "continue developing the Hi-Fi-Rush IP and explore future projects."

Obviously, the news that hundreds of employees will no longer face the prospect of unemployment is great news. Likewise, Krafton seems to be signaling that they value the world of Hi-Fi Rush which most agree has plenty of potential. Nonetheless, the word "revive" has been used to describe the deal with Krafton which might signal members of the original team that worked on Hi-Fi Rush may have left Tango prior to this deal to secure job opportunities elsewhere. Additionally, while Tango is undoubtedly better off anywhere other than Microsoft, Krafton's record in working with studios developing new IPs or projects is a bit mixed. After the release of The Callisto Protocol, Glen A. Schofield was highly vocal about Krafton pushing for its 2021 release window even though he and a majority of his staff begged the publisher for more development time. Even then, Tango was basically dead without this deal and the current situation is better than the alternative.

Also, the one of the founders of Arkane, Raphael Colantonio, has been teasing their next project as being an RPG that mixes "Dishonored and Fallout." While I'd like to think there was a chance for Arkane Austin to have a happier ending than it did, a sale like this was likely impossible. Arkane Lyon is the far more valuable asset and MS would have been insane to give up any of Arkane's new or old IPs.

I feel like Hi Fi Rush got a lot of mythologizing after what happened, it's a fine game but it's not like some lost treasure. I honestly don't know that it has a lot of juice in it to make a franchise of. To be honest I'd be way happier if Evil Within or Ghostwire was the thing they recovered.

Still, that's sort of beside the point if this means the studio gets to work on more stuff. Hopefully they don't wind up in the mobile mines.

Hi-Fi Rush in MS own words did fine whatever that means but being a niche title and not launching on Playstation from the outset didn't help, a sequel releasing on Switch 2 probably being the most receptive audience would do much better.

Tango didn't produce big hits but were very efficient often through different genres which can trip up many folks, it seems like an easy win for someone looking to expand more into AAA gaming.

@efesell: I mostly agree. While, I would love to see a Hi-Fi Rush sequel, I would like to see Evil Within 3 more than anything. Still, I hope this means they can get back on their feet, regardless of what game they make next.

I feel like this story really needs some more information/clarity.

For instance, they've acquired the Tango name, but just how much of the staff is still available after it being shut for 3 months? I would've thought, in that time, that most of them would've looked for employment elsewhere.

God Hand 2. Assuming Capcom haven't tied that up. If that's the case, God Foot. Reanimate Clover Studios, damn it.

It'll never happen in our wildest dreams, brother. No ballbuster in 4K

@creepingdeath0: Well the first caveat is out. A Krafton PR representative told Digital Trends, “Krafton plans to transfer approximately 50 development staff from Tango Gameworks to Krafton’s Japan subsidiary.”

That's good news for the employees. I hope they're going to be more than a support studio but I guess time will tell.

@zombiepie: So about a third of the staff in comparison to when they released Hi Fi Rush last year. Hmmm.

@creepingdeath0: well.. now confirmed to be half of the existing staff. Also, Krafton now admitting they could not buy back everyone who worked on Hi-Fi Rush.