Microsoft Gaming closed yet another round of studios earlier this week, resulting in even more talented people being laid off from their jobs. The list shockingly includes Tango Gameworks, the studio behind the multiple award winning Hi-Fi Rush, as well as three additional studios. There have been positive comments toward Hi-Fi Rush from Xbox higher ups for quite some time now, with one specifically coming from Xbox’s VP of Games Marketing, Aaron Greenberg, last year on X (formerly Twitter). At the time, he remarked quite positively that “Hi-Fi Rush was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations. We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release.”
The closing of Tango Gameworks is something ComicBook considers one of Xbox’s worst decisions in years, making our team question why anyone should feel confident about the future of Xbox right now with how things have been going in recent months. Considering the game’s awards and fans, the confusion and bleak attitude in response to this closure isn’t something our team is alone in.
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Suffice to say, fans of Tango Gameworks and Hi-Fi Rush are far less than pleased with the studio’s closing and Xbox’s comments since, so now Steam users have started to review bomb the game with positivity. At the time of writing this, the love bombing has contributed to 1,793 recent (within the last 30 days) reviews, 97% of which are overwhelmingly positive. Looking through the recent reviews for Tango Gameworks’ game demonstrate the love people feel for the studio, with many expressing well wishes for the developers themselves, expressing their anger and upset toward Microsoft’s decision, and sharing some of their favorite parts of the game as well.
While it’s heartwarming to see the outpour of love for the game and Tango, it doesn’t make the situation any less bleak, and some players have started to express their worries about the game’s future, with one user KillianCU raising the red flag that Hi-Fi Rush has licensed music, which would potentially make it a target for being delisted by Xbox entirely in the future.
This is one of the responses Xbox is facing this week from fans, with CEO Phil Spencer himself up against Fallout 76 players deciding to grief him with nukes in the game going forward.
