Tango Gameworks being shut down after the huge success of Hi-Fi Rush came as a massive shock to a lot of people, and it was a shame to see such a powerful studio be erased. However, Tango Gameworks was then saved by Krafton, who acquired the studio from Microsoft in a “last-minute deal.” By acquiring the Japanese studio, they also got the rights to the Hi-Fi Rush franchise. CEO Chang Han ‘CH’ Kim spoke about their choice to acquire the studio, saying it was creatively motivated rather than commercially.
In an interview with Game Developer, Kim says Krafton wanted to acquire the studio and “as many people as possible from Tango to continue their legacy ” after Microsoft shuttered it in May. Krafton is most well known for developing PUBG, but it also wanted to acquire Tango Gameworks due to its love for Hi-Fi Rush and wanted to be able to develop sequels.
“Because Hi-Fi Rush fans really want to see sequels, we negotiated with Tango Gameworks’ parent company to acquire that IP as well.” Krafton also pushed for the deal to go through as fast as possible, as Tango Gameworks employees were left feeling anxious as the studio was shut down so suddenly. Because the move felt time-sensitive to Krafton, they consciously decided to purchase the Hi-Fi Rush franchise exclusively instead of Tango’s entire IP collection, which also included The Evil Within and Ghostwire Tokyo.
“If we were to acquire all IPs, I think it’s going to complicate the deal too much. Krafton is a pretty big company, but Microsoft is very complicated. We wanted to help the team continue developing their games, but especially Hi-Fi Rush.”
Although Krafton has been trying to hurry the process, the acquisition is still being finalized, which means they cannot disclose how much they spent on acquiring Tango Gameworks. Game File reports that Krafton has brought over 50 employees from Tango Gameworks, representing roughly half of the development team at Microsoft. Kim states that they are aiming for a minimum of 100 people and want to scale the studio up and even expand in the future.
“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. But it’s part of our attempt. We have to keep trying in the spirit of challenge-taking.”
Even though Krafton seems unsure whether Hi-Fi Rush will be a financial success, they want to continue to acquire more studios in need, much like Tango Gameworks. This is so they can increase their portfolio lineup and create innovative rather than derivative titles.
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