Chai and 808 launching upwards into the sky in Hi-Fi Rush, a Tango Gameworks game

Tango Gameworks Will Still Make "Unique" Games After Krafton Purchase

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Published: December 19, 2024 9:14 AM

Hi-Fi Rush and Ghostwire: Tokyo developer Tango Gameworks has revealed that it's still looking to make "unique and interesting" games following its acquisition by PUBG publisher Krafton earlier this year.

In an interview with Japanese news platform 4Gamer (with additional reporting and translation by Automaton Media), Tango Gameworks execs Colin Mack, John Johanas, and Kazuaki Egashira discuss their studio's future and its approach to creativity.

As a reminder, Microsoft washed its hands of Tango (alongside Redfall developer Arkane Austin) earlier this year, leading many to believe that the studio's days were done. However, Krafton then swept in to purchase Tango Gameworks, as well as the Hi-Fi Rush IP.

Chai and 808 looking concerned in Hi-Fi Rush, a Tango Gameworks game
Tango Gameworks still wants to make "unique" games after its acquisition by Krafton.

In the interview, Egashira confirms that Tango Gameworks' overall goal is "still IP creation", and that rather than making creative decisions, Krafton's part in things is to help Tango "expand".

That appears to be a sentiment echoed by Krafton itself, incidentally. Back in September, CEO Changhan Kim said he didn't think Hi-Fi Rush 2 would be a profitable endeavor, but that his company wants to "try something new" and take risks, which is a rather refreshing outlook.

Johanas chips in by saying that he wants Tango to be somewhere people think of games as "their baby" rather than as "some task to be done", and Mack says Tango's goal is to continue to create "unique and interesting games" for the studio's fans.

In short, if you were worried that Krafton would transform Tango into a sequel mill or a DLC producer for PUBG: Battlegrounds, then it looks like you needn't worry; the goal at the moment appears to be to let the studio retain its unique identity.

Sebastian looking up at a giant eye in the sky in Tango Gameworks' The Evil Within 2
Tango Gameworks also developed both The Evil Within and its sequel, although the studio doesn't own the IP.

Of course, the interview stops short of Tango announcing exactly what it's working on next, although we do know that there are plans to expand Hi-Fi Rush, so we may well get a sequel announcement in the next couple of years.

For now, though, rest assured that whatever Tango does next, it's likely to come out of leftfield in a similar way to their previous projects. Stay tuned for more.

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Joe has been writing for TechRaptor for several years, and in those years has learned a lot about the gaming industry and its foibles. He’s originally an… More about Joseph