While the closure of the four Xbox studios is still fresh, the video game industry remains shaken by the news. Internally at Xbox, there is incomprehension and several voices have been heard to denounce such actions, starting with that of Dinga Bakaba, boss of Arkane Lyon, who described the news as a “fucking stab” . But a new statement from Microsoft calls out again today.
Xbox wants more smaller games that generate prestige and reap rewards
Among the four closed studios was Tango Gameworks, the only Japanese studio that Xbox owned and responsible for Hi-Fi Rush or The Evil Within franchise. “Tango Gameworks will also close its doors. We are grateful for their contributions to Bethesda and players around the world. Hi-Fi Rush will remain available to players on current platforms » wrote Xbox when announcing the closure.
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This is very sad news, but not yet the most surprising when you listen to the statement made by Matt Booty after the studio closed.
“We need smaller games that give us prestige and rewards” Matt Booty reportedly said during a public meeting to discuss the division's future goals, according to reports from TheVerge.
A resounding declaration which comes just after the closure of Tango Gameworks whose last game released, Hi-Fi Rush, falls precisely into this category. Indeed, Hi-Fi RUSH received a very good critical reception during its surprise release in January 2023 and is among the best Xbox games of 2023 according to Metacritic ratings. And if Xbox is looking for prestigious games, remember that Hi-Fi Rush still received the prize for best animation at the last BAFTAs and that it was nominated in several other categories such as best sound design or best new franchise .
Three months after its release, the developers announced that Hi-Fi Rush had reached more than 3 million players. At the same time, Aaron Greenberg, head of Xbox marketing, declared the game to be a “resounding success” in all internal performance indicators. “We couldn't be happier with what the Tango Gameworks team delivered to us with this surprise”he declared on April 21, 2023.
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Last September, Xbox director Phil Spencer said in an interview that the brand was going to release more games from Japanese studios.
Japanese game creators are also part of Microsoft Game Studios, and while some titles cannot yet be announced, we also work with Japanese manufacturers to develop new games. The development environment is growing, including games developed internally or externally, and so we can expect to see more Japanese titles in the future.
See also: Hi-Fi RUSH: how music made this Xbox Game Pass game a hit