PUBG publisher Krafton is bringing over roughly 50 of the 100 staff members employed at Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks while it operated under (and was shut down by) Microsoft.
Journalist Stephen Totilo said on X/Twitter that Krafton public relations told him the company "plans to transfer approximately 50 development staff from Tango Gameworks to Krafton's Japan subsidiary. Transferred staff will continue to work on new projects, including the expansion of the HI-FI RUSH IP, at Krafton."
The studio, alongside the Hi-Fi Rush franchise, was saved when Krafton announced it had purchased the studio from Microsoft earlier in August 2024. "Krafton intends to collaborate with Xbox and ZeniMax to ensure a smooth transition and maintain continuity at Tango Gameworks, allowing the talented team to continue developing the Hi-Fi RUSH IP and explore future projects," it said at the time.
It's unclear why the remaining approximately 50 staff didn't join Krafton, but it's possible they had already found jobs elsewhere as the studio's closure was announced three months earlier in May 2024.
Microsoft shut down Redfall developer Arkane Austin at the same time in a move met with shock and anger by developers and fans alike.
Hi-Fi Rush had been deemed "a breakout hit for [Xbox] and [its] players in all key measurements and expectations," according to Microsoft executive Aaron Greenberg, but the studio which created it just a year earlier was still shut down.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
