Tango Gameworks’ 2023 rhythm-based action game, Hi-Fi Rush, has received a surge of positive reviews on Steam after the announcement of the studio’s shutdown.
According to stats for recent Hi-Fi Rush reviews on Steam, the game has been getting a surge of positive reviews on the platform after the announcement of Tango Gameworks’ closure. This can be seen in the graph below, where the game had an exponential increase in positive reviews from May 7, 2024, onward.
It’s a nice gesture from the Steam community, as it sends a message to Xbox that fans care about games like Hi-Fi Rush. The negative reviews visible on the graph above target Microsoft and its decision to shut down Tango Gameworks. One user states that the company doesn’t deserve their money for this game. They said that while Hi-Fi Rush is a fantastic game made by a great development studio, the latter’s closure means that none of the money spent on the game will go it. Meanwhile, one of the positive reviews highlights the irony that “a game about corporate greed gets shutdown by corporate greed.”
Recently, Tango Gameworks Game Project Manager Kazuaki Egashira took to Twitter/X to share pictures of the many awards it had received, wondering whether they weren’t enough to prevent the studio’s shutdown. His statement came in response to Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty, who had reportedly said during a call with other executives that the company is in need of smaller games that give it prestige and awards. There’s undoubtedly a sentiment of confusion and disappointment among the development team at Tango Gameworks, which was recognized by the industry with many awards for its talent and work. Shinji Mikami, who had recently parted ways with the studio, also expressed his sadness over its closure. Hi-Fi Rush, was previously referred to as a “break out hit” by Xbox.
