Publisher KRAFTON has announced that it has surprisingly acquired the recently closed Japanese studio Tango Gameworks and has purchased the studio-developed title IP HI-FI RUSH from Microsoft Gaming. This is notably the first time the publisher has made any investment in the Japanese gaming market. KRAFTON also announced that it intends to cooperate with Microsoft Gaming to ensure a smooth transition and continued work on the Hi-Fi RUSH series and explore potential future projects.
Earlier this year, Microsoft Gaming president Matt Booty sent out a company-wide email announcing that Bethesda Softworks will close down Arkane Austin (Redfall) Tango Gameworks (HI-FI RUSH, The Evil Within) Alpha Dog Games (Mighty DOOM), and Roundhouse Studios. According to the email, this was done “so that we can invest more deeply in our portfolio of games and new IP.” Tango Gameworks was founded in 2010 and became part of Microsoft Gaming when ZeniMax Media was acquired by Microsoft Gaming in 2021.
The game’s details via the publisher:
Hi-Fi RUSH is a single-player rhythm action game from Tango Gameworks, the award-winning studio behind Ghostwire: Tokyo and The Evil Within. In Hi-Fi RUSH, the entire world moves to the beat. Everything from the trees swaying in the environment to each hit landed during combat auto-syncs to the game’s music with stellar animations.
The player takes on the role of Chai, a free-spirited slacker with rockstar ambitions. During a technological procedure to receive a robotic arm, he finds an unexpected “bonus” when his music player is fused within his power unit. If that wasn’t enough, the company behind the experiment labels him a “defect,” making him a target for deactivation. With a squad of corporate overlords and an army of robots after him, Chai must defend himself through rhythmic combat and the help of a motley crew of allies to take down the company’s ruthless business leaders and escape.
Key Features
Gameplay That’s Always in Sync – Every element in the world of Hi-Fi RUSH is synced to the game’s soundtrack. Combat sequences perfectly align to the rhythm of the music, allowing for gameplay that is not only exhilarating but also extremely satisfying. Hi-Fi RUSH is a rhythm action game, with an emphasis on action. A player’s moves aren’t dictated by the music like in a traditional rhythm game — players have the freedom of a full action game, but inputting actions with the beat amplifies a player’s attacks along with the music.
Packed With Personality – Hi-Fi RUSH features a cast of outrageous characters, each with their own unique personalities and skills to help Chai take down the bad guys and turn up the volume on the game’s playful tone. Hi-Fi RUSH is unlike anything Tango Gameworks has created before and offers a lighthearted and humorous gameplay experience for everyone to enjoy.
Addictive Music – Hi-Fi RUSH showcases an energetic and catchy soundtrack of licensed songs, ranging from well-known rockers to some inspired cuts that will keep players engaged and headbanging as they play. Both the licensed and original music in Hi-Fi RUSH offer more than just background music with each track matching the pace of that level’s characters, environment, platforming, and combat.
Dynamic Visuals – From lovingly animated gags to crisp comic book effects, the visuals in Hi-Fi RUSH are vibrant and fun. Hi-Fi RUSH‘s visual style not only appeals to a variety of audiences—it’s also easy on players’ hardware and doesn’t require an expensive graphics card to look alive and stunning on Xbox or PC.
Streamer Mode – For those looking to livestream Hi-Fi RUSH or post gameplay online, Hi-Fi RUSH offers a Streamer Mode which replaces the game’s licensed tracks with original songs. This mode should enable streamers and content creators to stream and post their gameplay with a low risk of claims, takedowns and muting. This option is toggled in Gameplay Settings. Please note—even if players take these actions, because of forces outside of our control, there is no guarantee that external parties or software won’t interfere with posted content. However, using Streamer Mode is intended to reduce the chances of that happening.
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A Nintendo Switch trailer was also released.
According to SteamDB.
An announcement trailer was also released.