KRAFTON, Inc. has taken a major step in its global expansion by acquiring the talented team at Tango Gameworks, marking its first significant venture into the Japanese video game market. This acquisition includes the rights to Tango Gameworks’ popular intellectual property (IP), Hi-Fi RUSH.
In April, Xbox revealed plans to shut down four Bethesda studios: Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin (known for Redfall), Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog, and support studio Roundhouse Games. Tango Gameworks appeared to have closed its doors in June, with developer Takeo Kido sharing photos on social media, marking what he described as the studio’s final day.
However, South Korean publisher KRAFTON, which owns PUBG Studios and The Callisto Protocol developer Striking Distance, has now stepped in and acquired Tango Gameworks, seemingly saving the studio. Tango Gameworks, founded in 2010, is best known for the rhythm action game Hi-Fi RUSH, as well as the survival horror series The Evil Within and the action-adventure game Ghostwire: Tokyo. This studio became part of the Xbox family when ZeniMax was acquired in 2021.
Hi-Fi RUSH has been a particular success for Tango Gameworks, earning widespread praise and ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ reviews on Steam. The game has also won several prestigious awards, including ‘Best Animation’ at the BAFTA Games Awards, ‘Best Audio Design’ at The Game Awards, and ‘Best Audio’ at the Game Developers’ Choice Awards.
“As part of this strategic agreement, KRAFTON intends to collaborate with Xbox and ZeniMax to ensure a smooth transition and maintain continuity at Tango Gameworks”, said the publisher in the official statement, allowing the talented team to continue developing the Hi-Fi RUSH IP and explore future projects. The existing game catalog, including The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and the original Hi-Fi RUSH, will remain unaffected.
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