Hi-Fi Rush 2 was already 6 months into development when Xbox shut down Tango Gameworks
Oct. 1, 2024Why, Xbox, why?
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WhenMicrosoftshut down The Evil Within studio Tango Gameworks in June, fans mourned the loss of potential. It turns out, they had good reason to. At the time of its closure, Tango was six months into production on Hi-Fi Rush 2.
“I knew [Tango was] working on Hi-Fi Rush 2 when we started talking,” says Krafton head of corporate development Maria Park. “We thought we could carry on that legacy and offer more creative ways to keep the game updated.
Those franchises might be on ice for now, but Krafton, at least, seems confident about broadening Hi-Fi Rush’s legacy with a sequel. “Our key pillars are innovation, creativity, and scale-up,” Park says. But Tango will operate with some autonomy, and it’s already using that independence to deliver what seems like a fascinating Hi-Fi Rush 2.
Tango wants “to make sure [Hi-Fi Rush 2] surpasses the expectations of the existing fans,” Park says. “I don’t think it’s going to be completely open-world, but a more dynamic environment [that] you play in. Also, having more advanced technology applied to the rhythm action so that it feels more synchronized.”
“I think [they] want to work on Hi-Fi Rush DLC [too] because they are dedicated to ensuring that Hi-Fi Rush 2 upholds high standards of quality,” she continues. So now you know — like a flower in a parking lot, creativity can survive anything, even Microsoft.
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Ashley Bardhan is a critic from New York who covers gaming, culture, and other things people like. She previously wrote Inverse’s award-winning Inverse Daily newsletter. Then, as a Kotaku staff writer and Destructoid columnist, she covered horror and women in video games. Her arts writing has appeared in a myriad of other publications, including Pitchfork, Gawker, and Vulture.
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