Despite universal praise, Hi-Fi Rush apparently fell short of Microsoft’s internal expectations. A new report claims developer Tango Gameworks’ action title didn’t “make the money it needed,” though Microsoft has since suggested otherwise.
Jeff Grubb, from GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb, reviewed Hi-Fi Rush on his Game Mess Decides podcast. “…Based on what I’ve heard, it just hasn’t made 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 unveiled and surprised Hi-Fi Rush at a Developer Direct event. The strategy was praised at the time, though an Xbox marketing executive said it wouldn’t work for every game.
Aaron Greenberg, vice president of marketing for Xbox games, countered that Hi-Fi Rush had disappointed Microsoft, saying it was a “breakout for us and our players in all key measures and expectations.” He did not specifically specify what those internal expectations were.
As for Game Pass, Grubb wondered why Hi-Fi Rush has to sell a certain amount of units when it’s part of the subscription service – with over 2 million players per Bethesda. “So if these games also have to perform in terms of sales, which sounds like it, or at least something has to…” He then wonders if other big games, especially the failure of Halo Infinite, put more pressure on smaller games like Hi-Fi Rush.
Microsoft recently admitted that Game Pass may reduce base game sales, though this admission was clarified shortly after in February. For more, check out GameSpot’s Hi-Fi Rush review.
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