Hi-Fi Rush 2 looks likely as former Xbox studio Tango Gameworks is revived by Krafton-Adam Starkey-Entertainment – Metro

The beat won’t stop for Hi-Fi Rush just yet (Tango Gameworks)

After Microsoft announced plans to shut down the developer in May, Tango Gameworks has been acquired by Krafton as part of a ‘strategic agreement’.

Microsoft’s decision to close down four Bethesda studios was a key note in what’s become a particularly bleak year for Xbox, between earlier mass layoffs and falling sales of the Xbox Series X/S.

Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, Redfall’s Arkane Austin, Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog and support studio Roundhouse Games were all part of the closures, but now the former has been given a second life thanks to Krafton.

The South Korean publisher, best known as the company behind PUBG: Battlegrounds and The Callisto Protocol, announced it had acquired Tango Gameworks and the Hi-Fi Rush IP this week, in what it describes as a ‘strategic agreement’.

In a press release, Krafton said it ‘intends to collaborate with Xbox and ZeniMax to ensure a smooth transition and maintain continuity’ at Tango Gameworks.

Crucially, the post states that Krafton wants ‘the talented team to continue developing the Hi-Fi Rush IP and explore future projects’ – which strongly suggests a sequel is on the cards. It was previously claimed the studio was pitching ideas for a sequel before it was unceremoniously shut down.

‘Krafton intends to support the Tango Gameworks team to continue its commitment to innovation and delivering fresh and exciting experiences for fans,’ the company said.

Krafton noted that this acquisition will have ‘no impact’ on the availability of Tango’s previous games, namely The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2, and Ghostwire: Tokyo, which will remain on Xbox Game Pass and other storefronts.

The announcement, however, only mentions Hi-Fi Rush in regards to IP acquisition, so it’s likely the rights to The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo remain at Microsoft. As such, for now at least, any potential Evil Within 3 will probably come from another studio.

Tango Gameworks was originally founded in 2010 by Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami. The studio was later acquired by ZeniMax Media, which was then bought by Microsoft in 2020. Mikami, meanwhile, left in 2023 and has since set up another studio.

Before Microsoft announced its plans to close Tango, a Switch version of Hi-Fi Rush was rumoured to be in development, which could now potentially materialise through Krafton. The rhythm action game was released on PlayStation 5 and PC earlier this year.

While Hi-Fi Rush was received well by critics, it’s unclear whether it actually sold well. The game was shadowdropped on Xbox Game Pass in January last year, with a physical version set to be released through Limited Run Games.

Hi-Fi Rush was a critical hit (Tango Gameworks)

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