Legendary master of horror, Shinji Mikami, has commented on the surprise closure of the studio he founded, Tango Gameworks, shuttered in the latest round of Microsoft layoffs. Mikami, the creator of the Resident Evil series, spent many years at Capcom, co-founded Platinum Games, and seemed intent on training the next generation of creatives at Tango Gameworks. He described the entire state of affairs as "sad".
On Twitter (thanks, PC Gamer), Mikami made the brief but devastating comment, with the entire quote being: "Tango closed. Sad." Tango Gameworks was founded in 2010 with the idea that Mikami would direct the studio's first title, The Evil Within, before letting proteges Hideki Kamiya, John Johanas, Shu Takumi, and Ikuma Nakamura come to the fore. This approach would result in titles like The Evil Within 2, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and, ultimately, Hi-Fi Rush. Mikami left Tango in 2023, two years after Microsoft Game Studios acquired parent company Zenimax.
With the IP eventually coming to PS5, Tango was rumoured to be in the process of pitching a Hi-Fi Rush sequel, which makes the decision to shutter the studio even more agonising.