Xbox asserts Hi-Fi Rush was a ‘break-out hit’ amid claims it underperformed

Xbox says Tango’s surprise drop hit its goals

Hi-Fi Rush was a bit of a surprise drop earlier this year, and certainly made a splash. But as a report circulated that it did not hit its revenue target, Xbox is saying that Hi-Fi Rush was a break out hit.

The back-and-forth started when journalist Jeff Grubb, on the Game Mess Decides podcast, said that Hi-Fi Rush fell short of what it “needed” to do.

“Based on what I’ve heard, it just straight up didn’t make the money it needed to make,” Grubb said. “And, I mean, it got good reviews, buzz was good. So where do you put the blame for something like that? And it’s like, is it the price? Was it the shadow drop? Or could it have sold more? Or is it Game Pass?”

Grubb went on to clarify on Twitter that, according to what he’s heard, Hi-Fi Rush didn’t make the money it was expected to make. “But to be clear, I don’t really know how Microsoft measures success,” Grubb said. “This was just a small, passing statement in a larger conversation. It wasn’t meant to make people worry about [Hi-Fi Rush].”

The conversation about this, and how success is determined for Xbox games, carried on through social media. Eventually Aaron Greenberg, the VP of Xbox Games Marketing at Microsoft, stepped in to comment.

“Hi-Fi Rush was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations,” Greenberg said. “We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release.”

Grubb then quote-tweeted and followed up with another clarification:

“I shouldn’tve said ‘needed’ on the podcast,” Grubb said. “I don’t know what it needed to do. The conversation we were having was about generating revenue, and the game didn’t hit that target. But no matter what, [Hi-Fi Rush] isn’t a flop, and Tango’s future is bright.”

Regardless of what the goal is, Hi-Fi Rush was pretty cool by all accounts. Whether every target was hit or not, I’m personally hoping both it and Pentiment become a regular thing for Xbox, as I’ve really enjoyed these surprise passion projects.

Eric Van Allen

Senior News Reporter