Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami founded Tango Gameworks in 2010 before leaving the company last year. Around the time of Mikami’s departure, Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush became a critically acclaimed hit. Now, Mikami has revealed that he thought Hi-Fi Rush had secured Tango Gameworks’ future before Microsoft shut down the studio earlier this year.
“I had thought the studio would be safe as long as they continued to make Hi-Fi Rush games,” explained Mikami during an interview with IGN. “That’s one of the reasons I left Tango Gameworks. So I was surprised when the studio was closed down.”
The good news is that Tango Gameworks’ demise was short-lived. A few months after Microsoft made its decision, Tango Gameworks was purchased by Krafton, which retained the rights for Hi-Fi Rush and any future games in the franchise. Krafton also retained at least half of Tango Gameworks’ employees who hadn’t already secured other jobs. That gave Mikami a greater sense of hope for his former company.
“Now Krafton has taken over the business, so I feel like it worked out well in the end,” said Mikami. “I was reminded that if you make a good game, someone will pick it up. The hard work of the Hi-Fi Rush development team led to a new chapter for the company.”
There’s currently no word about when a Hi-Fi Rush sequel or follow-up may arrive, but Limited Run Games has previously confirmed that the original Hi-Fi Rush will still get a physical release. There’s just no timetable for that at the moment.
