Xbox refutes Hi-Fi Rush failure claims – It was a “break out hit”
No, Hi-Fi Rush wasn’t a failure for Xbox
Hi-Fi Rush was a surprise release from Xbox earlier this year, getting announced and released on the same day on PC and Xbox. The game was a critical success, with the game receiving many positive reviews and a lot of public attention following the game’s launch. That said, recent discussions about the game have been about allegations that the game “didn’t make the money it needed to make”, and that Xbox/Microsoft were unhappy with the game’s performance.Â
Claims of Hi-Fi Rush’s failure claims stemmed from Jeff Grubb on his “Game Mess” podcase, where is was claimed that Microsoft were not happy with the game’s performance. This rumour was quickly turned on its head when Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg, the VP of Xbox Marketing, who refuted these rumours on Twitter and called Hi-Fi Rush a “break out hit” and stated that “We (Xbox) could not be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered” with Hi-Fi Rush.
Hi-Fi Rush proved that not all games need large AAA budgets, insane amounts of content, or cutting-edge visuals to be successful. Hi-Fi Rush is a unique game that features stylised visuals, strong gameplay, and well executed mechanics. With Microsoft deeming Hi-Fi Rush a success, it is probable that the company will green light the development of more smaller creative titles in the future, games that focus on being fun to play instead of being the next big gaming industry cash cow.
You can join the discussion on Hi-Fi Rush’s success on the OC3D Forums.