Rumor: Xbox exclusive Hi-Fi RUSH ‘didn’t make the money to earn it’

Podcast host Jeff Grubb provided further explanation in a tweet:

Original story (Friday, April 21, 2023 11:45 GMT):

Hi-Fi RUSH made such a splash when it was revealed and released at Xbox’s Developer Direct event in January that Tango Adventure totally won over critics. It was the team’s first release under Xbox ownership, so it launched directly on Xbox Game Pass – but did that hurt its sales?

Well, we can’t say for sure, but one rumor has surfaced that Hi-Fi RUSH has gone out of business and its sales aren’t where Xbox wanted them to be. According to journalist Jeff Grubb of Venture Beat – who broached the topic during a recent Jeff Group Game Mayhem podcast episode – Hi-Fi RUSH “DON’T MAKE THE MONEY” Xbox was aiming for.

“Based on what I’ve heard, it is [Hi-Fi RUSH] Only directly he does not earn the money he needs. It got good reviews, and the engagement was good, so where do you put the blame on something like that? Is it the price? Was it Drop Shadow – could it have sold more? Or is it Game Pass? “

Of course, Microsoft doesn’t reveal sales numbers these days, so we’ll likely never know how well Hi-Fi RUSH – or other Xbox exclusives – sells. We just hope something like this doesn’t stop Microsoft from investing in similar games in the future.

We absolutely loved our time with Hi-Fi RUSH in January, and it was one of our favorite Xbox moments of the year so far. If you’d like to read our thoughts on Tango’s percussion-based beat, see our full written review of Hi-Fi RUSH below.