The closure of Tango Gameworks by Microsoft was arguably one of the most disappointing news gamers had to read in 2024. The studio released several successful games, such as the two The Evil Within titles, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and Hi-Fi Rush, the latter of which won several awards. However, Hi-Fi Rush wasn't as successful as Microsoft had hoped from a commercial standpoint, even after its release on PlayStation 5. Thus, the decision to divest.
Gamers thought it was over for the Tokyo-based developer originally founded by Resident Evil guru Shinji Mikami. Thankfully, that won't be the case: KRAFTON, once known as Bluehole Studio before the runaway success of PUBG, has just announced the acquisition of Tango Gameworks as well as the Hi-Fi Rush IP. The press release issued this morning also mentions that the existing development team will largely be kept in place. Hi-Fi Rush and The Evil Within 2 Director John Johanas already celebrated on Twitter/X.
Here's the excerpt:
As part of this strategic agreement, KRAFTON intends to collaborate with Xbox and ZeniMax to ensure a smooth transition and maintain continuity at Tango Gameworks, allowing the talented team to continue developing the Hi-Fi RUSH IP and explore future projects. KRAFTON intends to support the Tango Gameworks team to continue its commitment to innovation and delivering fresh and exciting experiences for fans. There will be no impact on the existing game catalog of The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and the original Hi-Fi RUSH game.
Sadly for horror fans, it doesn't sound like rights to The Evil Within and/or Ghostwire: Tokyo franchises are included in the deal, whose financial details remain undisclosed at this time. However, that doesn't mean KRAFTON can't reach an agreement with Microsoft later; it would certainly be preferable rather than abandoning these prized IPs to languish for all eternity.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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