Just a single day after it came to light that Microsoft closed three game studios — including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks — its president of game content and studios, Matt Booty, has reportedly said Xbox Game Studios needs games just like the 2023 rhythm action title.
The report comes from The Verge, which notes that according to “internal remarks,” Booty told staff “we need smaller games that give us prestige and awards” during a town hall meeting held on Wednesday. That statement was surprising for many employees present, given that Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush fits that description to a T.
Released in a shadow drop just a little over a year after Tango launched Ghostwire: Tokyo in 2022, Hi-Fi Rush was a bold departure from the studio’s usual horror-focused games. Its addicting rhythm-based hack ‘n’ slash combat, energetic rock soundtrack, and colorful, vibrant world went on to attract over 3 million players, though, and the game ended up taking home several awards from The Game Awards, the Game Developers Choice Awards, and the BAFTA Awards.
Microsoft’s vice president of Xbox games marketing Aaron Greenberg even publicly stated that “Hi-Fi Rush was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations” when rumors of poor sales spread last April, which made Microsoft’s decision to kill the studio behind it yesterday all the more shocking. Booty’s comments today in the wake of that choice have left many similarly dumbfounded, and Tango Gameworks’ creative director John Johanas feels the same way:
https://t.co/Cz2fW01QVc pic.twitter.com/ADV4ZTpIuPMay 9, 2024
Analysis: What are we doing here?
Frankly, I can’t think of something more bizarre and tone deaf to say the day after shuttering the studio that made one of the most well-received Xbox games in recent years. If Microsoft needs small-scale award-winning games, than why would it close the team that made Hi-Fi Rush?
In Booty’s email to staff announcing the cuts yesterday, he noted a “reprioritization of titles and resources” was necessary. A report from Bloomberg also revealed he said ZeniMax leadership was stretched too thin, and that the closures were intended to help move resources into other projects. However, Microsoft has ripped past earnings expectations with a $21.9 billion net income, and has become the world’s most valuable company in 2024. Somehow, I get the feeling there was a solution here that didn’t involve taking three studios behind the shed and laying off developers. And this is after roughly 2,000 Microsoft Gaming employees were cut in January.
Booty can say whatever he wants, but actions speak louder — and Microsoft’s actions yesterday suggest it isn’t a safe place for developers to create the small, prestigious games that Booty says Xbox needs. After all, it turned down a Hi-Fi Rush sequel before giving Tango Gameworks the boot.
