Friday, April 21st 2023
Microsoft Xbox Marketing Exec Responds to Accusations of Unsatisfactory Hi-Fi Rush Sales
Video game industry expert Jeff Grubb made some interesting remarks during a live recording of his Game Mess Decides podcast - yesterday's episode included plenty of talk about the Xbox and PC platform exclusive Hi-Fi Rush, a rhythm-based action game. The Tango Gameworks developed title was first announced on January 25 of this year, and in an unusual move for Xbox (plus Bethesda Softworks) the colorfully cel-shaded action adventure experience was released worldwide that same day. According to Grubb this obtuse bit of marketing strategy has not paid off well, in pure unit sales figures, from the parent company's perspective: "(Hi-Fi Rush) didn't make the money it needed to make." Bethesda has stated that the game had achieved a maximum player base number in the 2 million range (by March 1) - this likely includes a significant chunk of customers accessing Hi-Fi Rush through the Game Pass subscription service. Exact sales figures for Japanese studio-developed title in terms of digital sales have not been divulged.
Grubb continued his stream of inside knowledge: "Based on what I've heard, it just straight up didn't make the money it needed to make. It got good reviews, and the buzz was good, so where do you put the blame for something like that?" Several online publications and games industry tipsters on social media have since pounced to spread Grubb's words - so much so that it was enough to grab the attention of one Aaron Greenberg, vice president of Xbox Games marketing. In a response to criticisms aimed at the gaming divisions poor marketing effort he stated: "Hi-Fi Rush was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations. We couldn't be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release." Greenberg was thanked for providing a response, yet hindsight is 20/20 - could a traditional physical release of the game have helped boost paying customer uptake? The sensitive matter of a wider console release is another interesting topic of conversation - Tango Gameworks has multi-platform development experience and Hi-Fi Rush would appear to be a very suitable game for a PlayStation-oriented audience. Microsoft has received criticism for making (over time) its Bethesda game lineup exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem (Game Pass and Windows included).
Sources:
Insider Gaming, Jez Corden Twitter Conversation
Grubb continued his stream of inside knowledge: "Based on what I've heard, it just straight up didn't make the money it needed to make. It got good reviews, and the buzz was good, so where do you put the blame for something like that?" Several online publications and games industry tipsters on social media have since pounced to spread Grubb's words - so much so that it was enough to grab the attention of one Aaron Greenberg, vice president of Xbox Games marketing. In a response to criticisms aimed at the gaming divisions poor marketing effort he stated: "Hi-Fi Rush was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations. We couldn't be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release." Greenberg was thanked for providing a response, yet hindsight is 20/20 - could a traditional physical release of the game have helped boost paying customer uptake? The sensitive matter of a wider console release is another interesting topic of conversation - Tango Gameworks has multi-platform development experience and Hi-Fi Rush would appear to be a very suitable game for a PlayStation-oriented audience. Microsoft has received criticism for making (over time) its Bethesda game lineup exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem (Game Pass and Windows included).
17 Comments on Microsoft Xbox Marketing Exec Responds to Accusations of Unsatisfactory Hi-Fi Rush Sales
Don Mattrick got fired for less than this. Phil's cool as a cucumber. No way the executives at the top would blame him for enacting a plan to ensure they get Call of Duty, though. But could he really go 2023, too, without games? Or even the impression that they would? No, no of course not, so he lets Tango do a quick 'n dirty game and releases it at the start of the year to keep people from seeing the obvious for what it is. Then when it does a lot better than they expect, they leak that it didn't. They know they can't lie to investors, but they can get people whispering about it doing badly.
I'm sure they internally thought the deal'd be done by May, which is why we see the Redfall slotted in there. They probably wanted to do Starfield there, but when it was uncertain they can't release their major game and get all the sales and undo a whole year of looking pathetic. Watch the gates open once the deal is done. It'll be crazy how many games come pouring out all in a fairly quick turnaround and everyone'll be saying, "Wow, Phil. He's so amazing. Look at how he turned this all around!"
And he'll have been amazing but not for the reasons most people will be saying. He'll have gotten Activision-Blizzard, paid no price at all, and all his fans loving him will have paid the price of waiting an entire year for new releases. That'll be around the time they also announce the 50% price increase on Game Pass btw and a US price increase on the Xbox Series X to $549.99. "Changing market conditions," you see.
It's really good though. It's a spectacle fighter/character action game as a rhythm game. Giving a rhythm game spatial audio support is pretty genius, it sounds amazing on headphones with atmos/dts-x or on a home theater system.
Without Game Pass I would have bought because it looked interesting and the price was right. Because it was there, and I knew being a Bethesda title that it would be staying there, I didn't bother to buy.
How much does a game need to sell to be considered a success? Not every title is a blockbuster AAA+, and I'm thankful for it. Unless it's got Grand Theft Auto written on the cover, blockbuster titles tend to severely gravitate towards a political statement (see: The Last of Us) or become needlessly conservative in order to not anger anybody (see: Horizon Zero Dawn).
Hi-Fi Rush reached 2 million players within 2 months. For a new game? That's amazing. Sure it came from Tango Gameworks, but you cannot reasonably expect for an all-new game that's priced at $30 (full price, btw) to have the same sales numbers of the Evil Within franchise. I would call a new production that reached those numbers within 2 months successful, unless they've got Forspoken-sized budget, which obviously is not the case. I'm more than willing to believe that it broke even, turned a profit and left interest for a follow-up in there.
Looks pretty lame but what does it matter what sells are isn't it included in the subscription fee if not I call ripoff :laugh:
It should have done much, much better but Microsoft and their zero effort launch policy crippled the success it deserved.