Despite universal praise, Hi-Fi Rush has seemingly not met internal expectations set by Microsoft. A new report claims the action title from developer Tango Gameworks failed to “make the money it needed,” though Microsoft has since suggested otherwise.
Jeff Grubb, of GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb, discussed Hi-Fi Rush on his Game Mess Decides podcast. “… Based on what I’ve heard, it just straight up didn’t make the money it needed to make,” he said. “I mean it got good reviews, the buzz was good, so where do you put the blame for something like that? Is it the price? Was it the shadow drop? Could it have sold more? Is it Game Pass?”
In January, Microsoft revealed and surprise-launched Hi-Fi Rush during a Developer Direct event. The strategy received praise at the time, though an Xbox marketing manager said it wouldn’t work for every game.
Xbox games marketing VP Aaron Greenberg refuted that Hi-Fi Rush had disappointed Microsoft, saying it was a “breakout hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations.” He did not specify what those internal expectations were, specifically.
As for Game Pass, Grubb wondered why Hi-Fi Rush needs to sell a certain number of units when it’s part of the subscription service–with over 2 million players, per Bethesda. “If these games also then need to perform in terms of sales, which it sounds like they do or at least something needs to…” He then ponders if other big-name games, specifically Halo Infinite’s failure, are putting more pressure on smaller games like Hi-Fi Rush.
Microsoft has recently admitted that Game Pass can decrease base game sales, though clarified this admission shortly thereafter in February. For more, be sure to check out GameSpot’s Hi-Fi Rush review.
