Xbox Exec On Why Microsoft Closed Hi-Fi Rush Studio Despite The Game Doing Well
Xbox has made headlines throughout 2024 for some of the dramatic business decisions it’s made, including laying off more than 1,000 people and shuttering studios. Specifically, many have commented on and passionately reacted to the closure of Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks. But why close Tango, and what efforts might have been made to avoid such a move? Xbox president of gaming content and studios Matt Booty was asked by Variety if Microsoft attempted to seek another buyer for Tango, and he suggested that this could have occurred.
He cited an example of how Microsoft once owned Splosion Man studio Twisted Pixel before the team regained its independence. He said Twisted Pixel evolved to no longer become a good match for being an internal Microsoft team, and Microsoft wanted to “set them up for success,” so it brokered a deal with the company to let it go private again.
Booty did not get into specifics about whether or not this could have happened with Tango, but he said Microsoft “absolutely” considers “possible business options” that might be available to have a studio change hands. “Sometimes those things come together, sometimes they don’t,” he said.