Hi-Fi Rush is set for its final patch later today, May 15, amid the closure of its developer Tango Gameworks.
Earlier this month, Microsoft shocked the gaming world when it announced the closure of Tango Gameworks, also known for The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo, as well as Redfall and Prey developer Arkane Austin as part of deep cuts at Bethesda.
The critically acclaimed rhythm action game Hi-Fi Rush was deemed a success upon its 2023 launch. It shadow-dropped straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC, and was sold outside the subscription service priced $30. IGN’s Hi-Fi Rush review returned a 9/10. We said: “Hi-Fi Rush marches to the beat of its own drum with stunning animation, loveable characters, and stylish rhythmic action that are anything but one-note.”
Last year, amid reports that Hi-Fi Rush had failed to sell well enough, Aaron Greenberg, vice president of Xbox games marketing, insisted the game “was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations.” Greenberg added: “We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release.”
Last week, just a day after Microsoft announced the closure of Tango Gameworks, Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty reportedly told Bethesda staff “we need smaller games that give us prestige and awards.” Tango Gameworks staff reacted to Booty’s reported statement with social media posts expressing their clear exasperation at the situation. John Johanas, creative director at Tango Gameworks and director on Hi-Fi Rush, reacted to Booty’s quote in devastating fashion:
https://t.co/Cz2fW01QVc pic.twitter.com/ADV4ZTpIuP
— johnjohanas (@johnjohanas) May 9, 2024
Kazuaki Egashira, game project manager at Tango Gameworks, offered their own take:
Not enough?#HiFiRush #TangoGameworks pic.twitter.com/3OLhYAPbxU
— KazuakiEgashira (@ega1002) May 9, 2024
Hi-Fi Rush, which hit a peak of 6,132 concurrent players on Steam when it launched in January 2023, saw an uptick in players on Valve’s platform following the announcement, and was the subject of a positive review bombing campaign by users who hit out at Microsoft’s closure of Tango Gameworks.
Limited Run Games, meanwhile, has indicated it still plans to release Hi-Fi Rush’s previously announced physical version. The game launched on PlayStation 5 earlier this year as part of Microsoft’s multi-platform video game push. Hi-Fi Rush’s long-rumored Nintendo Switch port recently popped up in an age-rating from the ESRB.
A tweet from the official Hi-Fi Rush account confirmed this physical edition is still in the works, and signaled the release of the final patch. “Thank you all for your continued support. We’re working to release the physical edition of Hi-Fi Rush with our partners at Limited Run Games, as well as a final patch to address some minor issues releasing later today,” the tweet reads.
While reassuring, some are concerned Hi-Fi Rush will eventually face being delisted due to the licenced music used for its soundtrack.
Why did Microsoft close Tango Gameworks? Xbox executive Sarah Bond offered a response in a recent interview. IGN understands a pitch for Hi-Fi Rush 2 was rejected in part because it was deemed too expensive. IGN recently spoke with analysts to find out What the End of Tango Gameworks Means for Game Pass.
Below are the final patch notes for Hi-Fi Rush.
Hi-Fi Rush Update 9 Patch Notes
PS5 & PC(Track 01) After reducing QA-1MIL to zero health, a collision issue would occur where players would fall out of the geometry. Chai will now properly fall to the ground, instead of into the abyss.(Track 01) Fixed an issue during the latter half of the 2D area whereby the camera would not follow Chai when the elevating lift falls.(Track 02) Corrected a defect whereby if you touched Rekka during her electric charge, your final Rank would not correlate with the Chorus score.Some issues would occur when trying to use Macaron’s Gravity Well while Rhythm Parrying an enemy. Well, this is now fixed!(Track 03) Cutscenes previously would not play correctly if a Health Tank was consumed during the fight with the HG-0G. Feel free to block a few more hits with your face because this bug is fixed!Fixed various text issues.All Platforms(Track 01) We also QA’d some other issues during the QA-1MIL fight, particularly around transitions between phases.Fixed even more text bugs! They just don’t stop!Drink prices adjusted in Vandelay vending machines to reflect local currency conversion.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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