In a sudden twist of fate, Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks was saved from being shuttered by Krafton. The initial decision to close Tango Gameworks seemed a very strange one from Xbox, but Krafton stepped in to ensure we wouldn’t lose the studio.
Speaking with Game Developer, Krafton’s CEO Changhan Kim explained the decision to save Tango was not a financial one. “We wanted to maintain their legacy,” he said. “Although they did not have a big success in their games, we saw many creatives worth pursuing. That’s why we wanted to work with that organization.”
Kim doesn’t even expect a Hi-Fi Rush sequel to make money. “We can’t acquire Tango Gameworks based on their financials or their numbers, right? We don’t think Hi-Fi Rush 2 is going to make us money, to be frank. But it’s part of our attempt. We have to keep trying [to develop games] in the spirit of challenge-taking.”
Instead, Kim would like to focus just on recuperating costs of production, and making sure that creatives get to continue to make the games they would like to play. In an industry that seems ever-focused on profit margins, it’s a positive message.