Resident Evil creator thought the studio he helped form “would be safe as long as they continued to make Hi-Fi Rush games,” but Microsoft shut it down anyway

Resident Evil creator and Tango Gameworks founder Shinji Mikami has spoken further about the closure and resurrection of the studio he created, which he thought “would be safe” following his departure as long as it continued making Hi-Fi Rush games. 

Hi-Fi Rush, The Evil Within, and Ghostwire: Tokyo studio Tango Gameworks was founded by Mikami in 2010, but he left in 2023, albeit eight years after he initially wanted to. However, this May, it was announced that Microsoft was closing it, alongside Redfall studio Arkane Austin, a decision which the founder called “sad.” In a new interview with IGN alongside No More Heroes and Killer7 director Goichi ‘Suda51’ Suda, Mikami reveals that his belief that the studio would remain safe if it carried on with Hi-Fi Rush installments was one reason why he left in the first place. 

“I had thought the studio would be safe as long as they continued to make Hi-Fi Rush games. That’s one of the reasons I left Tango Gameworks,” he explains. “So I was surprised when the studio was closed down.”

However, good news came last month when it was announced that PUBG publisher Krafton had struck a “strategic deal” to acquire both Tango Gameworks and the Hi-Fi Rush IP, resurrecting the studio and re-hiring around 50 members of staff. With that in mind, Mikami feels “it worked out well in the end.” 

He adds: “I was reminded that if you make a good game, someone will pick it up. The hard work of the Hi-Fi Rush development team led to a new chapter for the company. I think that for a development studio, making a good game is more directly related to survival than making a popular game.” 

Xbox says Hi-Fi Rush was a success “in all key measurements” amid rumors of poor sales.