If you've been hoping to see a Hi-Fi Rush sequel, 2024 has likely been a real roller coaster of emotions. The closure of its developer Tango Gameworks by Xbox in May seemed to spell the end for the excellent rhythm action game. That all changed a month ago, however, when PUBG Battlegrounds and InZOI studio Krafton announced it would be purchasing Tango Gameworks, along with the rites to the Hi-Fi Rush series. In a new interview, Krafton CEO Changhan 'CH' Kim speaks to the creative aspirations of the team, noting that inventiveness is more important than aiming for a "big hit."
While the acquisition, which is still being finalized, includes the IP rights to Tango's 2023 high-octane stylish Hi-Fi Rush. When I think about our fans, I think what they really care about is Hi-Fi Rush sequels."
While the ongoing nature of the deal prevents specific numbers from being revealed, Kim describes Krafton's purchase of the developer as "not too expensive, or too cheap either. We cannot really translate the volume into money," he explains, "it's more about the significance. The dollar amount was not really important to Microsoft."
Reports suggest that around half of the former Tango Gameworks team will its new incarnation under Krafton, amounting to over 50 employees – a number Kim says he wants to see scaled back up to "a minimum of 100 people. We have to scale it to around that size. That's a minimum requirement to continue developing the franchise. Or perhaps they'll need a bigger team. We haven't decided on that, but we don't plan to reduce the size of the team at all."
Kim also stresses that Krafton's focus is on promoting creative ideas, even if they don't provide impressive financial returns. "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," he says. "But it's part of our attempt. We have to keep trying in the spirit of challenge-taking."
Hi-Fi Rush is a delightful game that came as a real surprise from a studio known predominantly for its work in the selling well on Steam despite its availability via Microsoft's PC Game subscription service at launch.
Kim tells Game Developer he doesn't know how much Hi-Fi Rush earned. "Did it add a lot of money to Microsoft? That might not be the case. I'm not saying I know how much they made, this is just my guess. But the IP itself was very fresh [and featured] new types of gameplay. I know it's not a game a lot of studios are making, and we have to keep trying.
"The big hit shouldn't be your goal. If you think about it that way, Hi-Fi Rush might have brought in a little bit of a minus in of the financials, but it's a team that should be encouraged to create something new and continue their journey. We want to have more teams like that under our umbrella."
For now, you can get into the groove with even more of the best single-player games in 2024 instead.
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