Earlier this year Microsoft announced the closure of four major studios on the same day, among which number was the Tokyo-based developer Tango Gameworks. Founded in 2010 by industry legend Shinji Mikami, best-known for creating Resident Evil, the studio developed the (excellent) Evil Within games as part of an eclectic output, with its most recent release the well-received rhythm beat-em-up Hi-Fi Rush.
Tango's games were generally well-liked, and indeed Xbox executive Aaron Greenberg called the launch of Hi-Fi Rush (which was announced and released on GamePass on the same day) "a breakout 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." In that context especially the closure felt like an absolutely brutal decision, one that left peers bemoaning that making a good game that sells well "will no longer keep you safe in this industry."
