KRAFTON Said Tango Gameworks Acquisition Was Creatively Motivated

Changhan "CH" Kim, the CEO at Krafton, explained why the company decided to buy Tango Gameworks.

The studio, best known for the acclaimed Hi-Fi RUSH, was shut down by Microsoft along with three other developer studios earlier this year. The closure sparked strong criticism of Microsoft from developers, reporters, and bloggers. Later, the studio saw a new chance as it was bought by the PUBG publisher KRAFTON.

The Krafton CEO shared that the acquisition was driven by the motivation to preserve the studio's creative legacy rather than strive for commercial success. "Although they did not have a big success in their games, we saw many creatives worth pursuing," explained Kim. 

The studio's hasty shutdown left its employees "anxious," which made KRAFTON ensure the deal happened as fast as possible to minimize their career gap. In August, it was reported that KRAFTON plans to transfer approximately 50 developers from Tango Gameworks to the company's Japan subsidiary. Kim shared the company's plans to expand the team to at least 100 people.

The executive pointed out that Tango Gameworks would help the company expand its portfolio by developing Hi-Fi RUSH and introducing new titles. "We can't acquire Tango Gameworks based on their financials or their numbers, right? We don't think Hi-Fi Rush 2 is going to make us money, to be frank." He said that game development is a "hit or miss" industry, and having more projects helps "mitigate risk."

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