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Head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty, has suggested that the closure of Tango Gameworks was – in part – due to the ‘forward-looking situation’ of the studio no longer reflecting its past success, particularly referencing the changes in ‘creative leadership.’
In an interview with Variety, as part of its Strictly Business podcast, Xbox’s current boss spoke about Shinji Mikami’s former studio briefly when asked about its closure. This May, the studio was closed despite the hit release of Hi-Fi Rush just a year before that.
“There are a lot of things that go into success for a game – what leadership do you have, what creative leadership do you have, is the team the same team that shipped something successful previously?”
“We have to look at all of those things together and ask ourselves, are we set up for success going forward? And while there may have been factors or situations that previously led to success, they may not all still be in place as you look at what you’re doing going forward.”
Shinji Mikami, former Head of Tango Gameworks, had left the studio early last year after having spent more than a decade ensuring that its future was secure. However, Matt Booty insinuated that a change in personnel is partly responsible for the studio’s closure. Mikami is a Capcom veteran, having worked on Devil May Cry and Resident Evil, before going on to establish Ghostwire: Tokyo and The Evil Within at Tango.
It should be noted that Booty did not directly say it was Mikami’s departure from the company that sparked its eventual defunction, and that alternative options were assessed too.
“With many of our studios, we try to look at options,” Booty said. “For example, we recently had Toys For Bob, a studio that was previously working on Call of Duty titles, go back out and become a new independent studio, and we’ve announced that we’ve got a publishing deal with them and we’ll share more about that when it’s important.”
The closure of Tango Gameworks picked up plenty of traction due to the recent success of Hi-Fi Rush. Not only that, but Microsoft and Xbox’s platform philosophy has been changing drastically, with ‘Project Latitude’ looking to spread Xbox’s publishing reach onto Nintendo and PlayStation consoles too. Microsoft, and by extension Xbox and Bethesda both, has amassed a growing number of studios that were once independent. Despite the glowing Xbox Showcase earlier on this year, it’s clear that Xbox are struggling. The closure of Tango Gameworks proves that. Let’s hope no more studios are axed because of changing leadership. Ninja Theory, for example, who are now without Tameem Antoniades, I wish you the best.
