Today, a day after Microsoft announced it would be closing four game studios, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty held a town hall meeting to discuss the division’s future goals. “We want smaller games that bring us prestige and rewards,” Booty told employees, according to internal remarks shared with us. edge.
To some listeners on the call, it was a surprising goal: Microsoft had just shut down Japanese developer Tango Gameworks, which had just launched a small, prestigious hit. Hi-Fi Audio Sprint.
Hi-Fi Audio SprintReleased as a surprise last year, “” has been praised for its innovation and charm. Featuring music by The Black Keys and Nine Inch Nails, this rhythm action game features an art style reminiscent of the hyper-stylized games of the PS2 era. Just four months after launch, Hi-Fi Audio Sprint The number of players reaches 3 million. During the 2023-2024 awards season, the game went on to win the Game Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, and BAFTA Awards.
While Microsoft hasn’t shared sales figures yet, it’s clearly pleased with the game. When rumors surfaced about its poor commercial performance, Aaron Greenberg, Xbox’s vice president of game marketing, wrote on X: Hi-Fi Audio Sprint “This is a groundbreaking hit for us and our players in terms of all key metrics and expectations.”
By all accounts (including by Microsoft’s own account), Tango Gameworks was a huge success and completely different from anything that had come before it.forward Hi-Fi Audio SprintTango Gameworks is best known for its survival horror games, including inner demon series and Ghost Line: Tokyo. during an interview somewhat interesting gameXbox head Phil Spencer talked about the importance of Xbox allowing studios to make games outside of their comfort zones.
“I want to provide a creative platform for the team to develop their abilities and inspire their ambitions,” Spencer said.
Hi-Fi Audio Sprint It also represents Microsoft’s commitment to bringing Japanese-exclusive games to consoles.during an interview game watchingJapanese video game media Spencer praised Hi-Fi Audio Sprint Praising its “high quality” and saying players can “look forward” to seeing more AAA games from Japan that harken back to days gone by lost odyssey and blue dragon Both games are exclusive to the Xbox 360. gas chromatography“We are currently working with Japanese companies to develop new games.” It’s questionable whether that’s still the plan now that Tango is shut down.
Currently, small single-player games such as Hi-Fi Audio Sprint Going through an important moment. BalateroA poker roguelike game produced by a single developer that sold over 1 million copies in its first month. lord of the manorAnother independent development in early access on Steam has also sold over 1 million copies. Hades 2 Just released in early access, the number of players on Steam has doubled in one day from the previous game’s all-time high.Even the original Hades Today, nearly four years after its initial release, it has climbed back up the Steam charts, breaking the all-time player count record.
While we don’t know exactly what Microsoft’s sales targets are Hi-Fi Audio Sprint, there’s clearly a lot of interest in this type of game, and Tango Gameworks is perfectly positioned to deliver it.In fact, according to a report BurundiTango Gameworks is promoting the sequel to “Tango Gameworks” Hi-Fi Audio Sprint before it was shut down.
and Hi-Fi Audio SprintTango Gameworks gave Microsoft what Booty said he wanted: a small, unique, critically acclaimed, award-winning game. Booty’s comments suggest that Xbox’s leaders either fail to recognize what they have on their hands or simply don’t know how to capitalize on the success they’re seeking.
We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment.
