When Microsoft bought Bethesda back in 2019, one of the several studios they acquired was Tango Gameworks. Tango began life in 2010 when the legendary Shinji Mikami, creator of both Resident Evil 1 and 4, as well as God Hand, Vanquish and many other classic, set up an independant studio that was soon acquired by Bethesda.
Their first game, The Evil Within, had a lot of similarities to RE4 with its own trippy atmosphere. The sequel elevated its premise with an open world that gelled surprisingly well with its survival horror gameplay. While I personally didn't care much for 2022's Ghostwire Tokyo, it had an unmatched ambience and earned plenty of fans. Their last game, Hi-Fi Rush, was a surprise release that really did take everyone by surprise with its great soundtrack and rhythm-based combat, a far cry from Tango's usual horror-based fare.
Hi-Fi Rush may have been a huge success for Microsoft, but for whatever reason they've made the decision to permanently shut down Tango Gameworks. Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty issued a press release to announce some changes coming to some of the studios under Xbox Games. Arkane Austin, the Texas-based branch of Dishnored devs Arkane and the creators of the disastrous Redfall, were one studio given the ax. Alpha Dog Games, creators of mobile titles like Mighty Doom, were also confirmed to shut down. Of course, Tango Gameworks was also on the list, or else you wouldn't be reading this. Finally, Roundhouse studios, the successor to original Prey studio Human Head and later the developers of The Quiet Man (one of the worst games I've ever played), will become a part of Zenimax Online Studios and contribute toward The Elder Scrolls Online.
Shinji Mikami left Tango Gameworks recently to found a new studio called Kamuy, Inc, where he's aiming to distance himself from the survival horror genre. Ikumi Nakamura, that super cute concept artist who directed Ghostwire Tokyo (and art was one of its strongest suits to be fair), also left Tango to start a studio of her own called Unseen, where she's working on a new game called Kemuri that looks a lot like a less spooky Ghostwire. Still, Tango Gameworks was full of talented individuals and it sucks that Microsoft have put them out of a job, but maybe it could lead to another new studio that doesn't have to answer to a megacorp that only cares about the bottom line.
Are you guys sad to see Tango go? Which of their games have you played? Let us know below!
