GamesActionHi-Fi RushHi-Fi Rush fans mourn studio closure despite critical acclaim and millions of players: “what hope is there for anyone?“When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesActionHi-Fi RushHi-Fi Rush fans mourn studio closure despite critical acclaim and millions of players: “what hope is there for anyone?“When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Tango Gameworks)

May 7 brought the disastrous news thatMicrosoft was shutting down Tango Gameworks, as well as three other Bethesda-owned studios, immediately. This came a year afterXbox executives celebrating Hi-Fi Rush as a “breakout hit"for the platform, and so fans understandably wanted to know what had changed to put a lot of people out of work.
Today, Hi-Fi Rush players are coming together to celebrate Tango Gameworks' action game. Just below, for example, you can see a handful of incredible artworks from fans on Twitter showing just how much Hi-Fi Rush meant to them, and how it inspired them to create the pieces we’re now seeing.
Thank you so much @TangoGameworks, words cannot say how much happiness Hi-Fi Rush brought me. I hope with all my heart that everyone there can find a new place to call home soon ♥️🤘#HiFiRush 🎸 pic.twitter.com/OjkfofWWEPMay 8, 2024
Thank you so much @TangoGameworks, words cannot say how much happiness Hi-Fi Rush brought me. I hope with all my heart that everyone there can find a new place to call home soon ♥️🤘#HiFiRush 🎸 pic.twitter.com/OjkfofWWEPMay 8, 2024
Official Hi-Fi RUSH illustration I made last year. 💛RIP @HiFiRUSH @TangoGameworks pic.twitter.com/jFApAdr9ENMay 7, 2024
Official Hi-Fi RUSH illustration I made last year. 💛RIP @HiFiRUSH @TangoGameworks pic.twitter.com/jFApAdr9ENMay 7, 2024
Still have a couple of hi-fi rush doodles lying around, I’ll post them over the next couple of days, for now here’s a sketch and some earlier steps of previous works.. pic.twitter.com/cY9IUVGE0WMay 7, 2024
Still have a couple of hi-fi rush doodles lying around, I’ll post them over the next couple of days, for now here’s a sketch and some earlier steps of previous works.. pic.twitter.com/cY9IUVGE0WMay 7, 2024
Others, meanwhile, are pointing out the painful irony of Tango Gameworks being shuttered given Hi-Fi Rush’s very anti-corporate storyline. Protagonist Chai and company set out to take down corporate overlords making live miserable for everyone, and the message Tango’s game wholeheartedly bears is one of not trusting corporations.
It’s ironic how the plot of Hi-Fi Rush is that it’s about teaming up to take down a megacorporation and Tango Gameworks just got shutdownCongrats Microsoft, You proved the game right pic.twitter.com/z4eoXszDvUMay 7, 2024
It’s ironic how the plot of Hi-Fi Rush is that it’s about teaming up to take down a megacorporation and Tango Gameworks just got shutdownCongrats Microsoft, You proved the game right pic.twitter.com/z4eoXszDvUMay 7, 2024
Elsewhere, others are pointing to Hi-Fi Rush’s accolades to prove the absurdity of Microsoft shutting down Tango. The tweet below, for example, rightly points out how Hi-Fi Rush bagged a Game Award, a BAFTA Award, and many outlet-bestowed awards in 2023.
Hi-Fi Rush won a Game Award, a BAFTA and many more. One of the most critically acclaimed Xbox games in years. Awesome, unique and original game from Japan! Microsoft: Let’s close down Tango Gameworks 😭 pic.twitter.com/FYaBTPeGJJMay 7, 2024
Hi-Fi Rush won a Game Award, a BAFTA and many more. One of the most critically acclaimed Xbox games in years. Awesome, unique and original game from Japan! Microsoft: Let’s close down Tango Gameworks 😭 pic.twitter.com/FYaBTPeGJJMay 7, 2024
Just unbelievably sad. If we’re shutting studios making games incredible games like Hi-Fi Rush, Prey, and The Evil Within then what hope is there for anyone and wtf are we doing?May 7, 2024
Just unbelievably sad. If we’re shutting studios making games incredible games like Hi-Fi Rush, Prey, and The Evil Within then what hope is there for anyone and wtf are we doing?May 7, 2024
Resident Evil creator Shinji Makami has also reacted to the news of Tango’s closure, calling it “sad.” Mikami departed the studio that he helped found just over one year ago in February 2023, anddevelopers still at the studio until yesterday have also added their own voicesto the proceedings.
Marvel’s Blade and Deathloop director says Microsoft’s closure of sister studio Arkane Austin is a “f***ing gut stab.”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”