'We don't think Hi-Fi Rush 2 is going to make us money, but will attempt it anyway:' Krafton CEO says

[John Elden Ring]

Source​

Krafton CEO Changhan 'CH' Kim has explained the acquisition of Tango Gameworks from Microsoft was a "last minute deal."

Speaking to Game Developer about the buyout, which will see Krafton acquire the Japanese studio and Hi-Fi Rush franchise, Kim said the deal was creatively rather than commercially motivated.

"We wanted to maintain their legacy," says Kim. "Although they did not have a big success in their games, we saw many creatives worth pursuing. That's why we wanted to work with that organization."

Kim says Krafton wanted to "acquire as many people as possible from Tango to continue their legacy," with the studio having been shuttered by Microsoft in May. The South Korean company, best known for developing PUBG, was also rather smitten with Hi-Fi Rush and sought to acquire the IP to develop sequels.

"Because Hi-Fi Rush fans really want to see sequels, we negotiated with Tango Gameworks' parent company [Microsoft] to acquire that IP as well," he continues. According to Kim, the sudden shutdown of Tango Gameworks left employees "anxious," which is pushing Krafton to complete the deal as soon as possible.

"We wanted to make sure the deal happen fast to minimize that gap in their career," he adds. Kim says the scale and complexity of a conglomerate like Microsoft meant it was difficult to move quickly, but noted the Xbox maker was "open" to the sale of both the studio and its IP.

Given Krafton felt the move was time sensitive, the company focused on purchasing the Hi-Fi Rush franchise as opposed to Tango's entire IP slate–which also includes The Evil Within and Ghostwire Tokyo.

"If we were to acquire all IPs, I think it's going to complicate the deal too much. Krafton is a pretty big company, but Microsoft is very complicated,"

he says.

"We wanted to help the team continue developing their games, but especially Hi-Fi Rush. When I think about our fans, I think what they really care about is Hi-Fi Rush sequels."

 

[AllBizness]

Stupid business decision. This studio will be closed within 5 years.

 

[Gediminas]

Playstation exclusive, Krafton, i dare you

 

[Bryank75]

He has balls.

 

[peter42O]

Awesome. Not every game is going to make money and thus, not every game made should be about making money. Let the big money makers allow for smaller games that won't sell much and just need to break even. Loved Hi Fi Rush and can't wait for the sequel!!

 

[Ico]

nice to see this wont fall into a limbo after microsoft tried to kill the studio, im glad to buy the sequel day one

 

[Loy310]

Stupid business decision. This studio will be closed within 5 years.

Unfortunately this is how i feel.
Hifi was a passion project it was not designed and play tested and tweaked to he a billion dollar ip.

 

[TrishaCat]

Unfortunately this is how i feel.
Hifi was a passion project it was not designed and play tested and tweaked to he a billion dollar ip.

..that's why it's successful? Why does it need to be a billion dollar ip
Smaller games have their place and can make profits too. Hifi Rush did decently. It's studio was shut down by Microsoft for completely unrelated reasons to the success of the game.
Not everything needs to be God of Wars, GTAs, or even Halos.

 

[Loy310]

..that's why it's successful? Why does it need to be a billion dollar ip
Smaller games have their place and can make profits too. Hifi Rush did decently. It's studio was shut down by Microsoft for completely unrelated reasons to the success of the game.
Not everything needs to be God of Wars, GTAs, or even Halos.

I dont think it was successful, nor do any of the executives that closed the studio down.