In the quiet streets of Tokyo, a once-bustling game studio, Tango Gameworks, known for creating popular titles like The Evil Within, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and Hi-Fi Rush, reached the end of its journey. Founded in 2010 by Shinji Mikami, a luminary known for his role in creating the Resident Evil series, Tango Gameworks had carved out a niche, pushing the boundaries of the horror and action genres in the video gaming industry.
The studio’s inception was met with interest and excitement as it promised innovative experiences in gaming under the leadership of Mikami. Later, in the same year of its foundation, ZeniMax Media acquired Tango Gameworks, integrating it within a larger umbrella of influential gaming forces. This acquisition was later enveloped into an even bigger corporate deal when Microsoft purchased ZeniMax for $7.5 billion in 2021, which also brought Tango Gameworks into the fold of Xbox Game Studios.
Despite its creative successes and innovative projects, the studio's journey came to an unexpected end in 2023. The closure was a strategic decision by Microsoft, which left many in the gaming community and the industry surprised and saddened. On the last day of operations, employees gathered in their Tokyo office to mark the conclusion of more than a decade of creativity and camaraderie. That day, the usual bustle was replaced with a more somber atmosphere, coupled with an air of nostalgia as employees packed up their workspace.
However, the end was met not with silence but with a celebration of what had been achieved. A spread of pizzas adorned the otherwise empty spaces of Tango's lobby, symbolizing a communal meal to signify their last act together as a team. The images shared on Twitter by developer Takeo Kido captured these poignant moments – the lobby and reception area, which had once welcomed countless game developers and ideas, stood quiet but filled with boxed-up office equipment.
In these photographs, what stood out most was not just the physical dismantling of an office but a group of individuals taking a moment to come together and reflect on their collective journey. The pizza boxes, a modest but deeply human touch to the farewell, showed a glimpse of the studio culture that was about to be only a memory. It highlighted the simple yet meaningful ways in which the team chose to gather, celebrating their contributions and achievements over the years.
The decision to close Tango Gameworks also spawned reactions from the wider gaming community, with many expressing their feelings through social media and online platforms. Games developed by Tango Gameworks, especially Hi-Fi Rush, received an outpouring of positive "review bombs," where fans collectively rated the game highly as a form of tribute to the studio and its teams.
The studio's closure acts as a reflective mirror for the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of the gaming industry, where the closure of even the most creative and well-loved studios can be just a corporate decision away. It brings to light questions about the sustainability and direction of game development, echoing the sentiments and concerns of developers and employees within the industry.
As Tango Gameworks' doors close, the gaming world bids farewell to a studio that was bold in its storytelling and innovative in its gameplay. The final day might have been marked by the savoring of pizza slices, but it will be the studio’s daring contributions to the gaming world that will be long remembered by fans and players globally.
You must be logged in to post a comment!
