Hi-Fi Rush Director: 'I Want to Cherish This IP'

ign.com:

The team at Tango Gameworks have been through a lot these past couple of years. High on the surprise release of their highly acclaimed 2023 hit Hi-Fi Rush, the studio was suddenly closed down in May, causing uproar among game fans around the world. Then, in August, it was announced that South Korea’s PUBG publisher Krafton had reached an agreement to acquire Tango, along with Hi-Fi Rush, granting the studio a new lease of life.

Amid such dramatic twists and turns, Tango has retained many of its staff for this new iteration. IGN spoke with studio head Colin Mack, creative director / Hi-Fi Rush director John Johanas, and development director / Hi-Fi Rush project manager Kazuaki Egashira about their plans for Tango Gameworks going forward.

Despite previous reports that Hi-Fi Rush 2 is in development, Mack clarified that the team are still considering their options before they commit to a sequel. That is to say, the team had previously been working on a sequel at the time of the acquisition, and it seems pretty likely that they will continue to do so, but at this stage a sequel is not guaranteed.

“We are considering a sequel positively,” Mack told IGN. “We are not yet at the stage where we can say specifically, ‘This is what we're going to do.' ”

Johanas added: “Many of our staff have a lot of love for [Hi-Fi Rush], so we feel like we have options. We’re currently at the stage of considering various opportunities.”

From The Evil Within to Ghostwire: Tokyo and finally Hi-Fi Rush, Tango Gameworks is known for creating brand new games, and it seems that this culture still persists in the studio’s latest incarnation under Krafton. Egashira explained that creating new experiences is “in the DNA of Tango Gameworks."

“Hi-Fi Rush became popular as a new IP, but if Hi-Fi Rush were to stay the same forever, it would eventually become outdated,” he said. “I think Tango Gameworks is about taking on new challenges. I hope to continue to work in a way that puts developers at the center,