News Tango Gameworks' New Owner Doesn't Even Expect Hi-Fi RUSH 2 To Make Money

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There's been lots of drama surrounding Xbox's recent studio closures — Hi-Fi RUSH maker Tango Gameworks in particular — but a new quote from Krafton CEO Changhan 'CH' Kim may explain a little bit about why Microsoft decided to ultimately shut down the studio earlier this year.

Speaking with outlet Game Developer, Kim talked about the motivations behind Krafton buying Tango, and how they were primarily creatively-driven rather than for profitability. In fact, the CEO went on to say that "we don't think Hi-Fi RUSH 2 is going to make us money", which is a very surprising admission to hear.

"We can't acquire Tango Gameworks based on their financials or their numbers, right? We don't think Hi-Fi Rush 2 is going to make us money, to be frank,
Tango Gameworks are creative. They want to try something new, and we want to do more of that. [Making] video games is really a hit or miss industry, and that is risk taking. But having more project lineups is actually a way to mitigate risk, because one of them might work out."

This is definitely a commendable take, and it's certainly something you don't hear from company CEOs very often either. Even so, you can understand why Microsoft wouldn't want to keep Tango going if they couldn't make money producing its video games. Phil Spencer has alluded to his job of "running a business" multiple times recently, which explains a lot when it comes to the shuttering of studios like Tango.

Finally, the Krafton exec also said that the company wants "more teams like that" under its umbrella, and we wish both of them good luck with 'Hi-Fi RUSH 2' - even if making a profit seems far from a certainty.