Xbox president Sarah Bond answers why Tango Gameworks was shut down after Hi-Fi Rush, but fans are not happy about it

The recent shutdown of Tango Gameworks (among other studios) by Xbox has not been taken kindly by the community. Players and journalists alike have gone on social media and other channels to call out Microsoft’s move - after it “celebrated” the success of small-scale titles such as Hi-Fi Rush with its imminent shutdown.

In a recent interview by Bloomberg, president Sarah Bond was bombarded with a series of questions surrounding the closure of Tango Gameworks. The response was far from satisfactory.

She stated:

"You know, one of the things I really love about the games industry is that it's a creative art form, and it means that the situation and what successes for each game and studio is also very unique. There’s no one size fits all to it for us, and so, we look at each studio, each game team, and we look at a whole variety of factors when we’re faced with sort of making decisions and tradeoffs like that…but it all comes back to our long-term commitment to the games we create, the devices we build, the services…and ensuring that we’re setting ourselves up to be able to deliver on these promises."

Netizens across the globe have shared their discontent with the same.

Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the author’s opinions.

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Fans disappointed with Xbox president Sarah Bond’s recent Bloomberg interview

Sarah Bond responds to the recent shutdown of Tango Gameworks. (Image via YouTube/Bloomberg Live)

In the video titled, Xbox President Bond on the Gamer’s Future, Bloomberg conducted an interview with Sarah Bond on the future of gaming, and of its current strategy with Activision Blizzard.

Host Dina Bass presented Sarah with a barrage of questions, the most significant of which was centered around the elephant in the room - why Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks was shut down, despite drawing critical acclaim from both fans and Microsoft themselves.

Bass asked:

"I think one of the things that was most upsetting to Xbox gamers and to employees is that, you know, one of the shuttered studios in particular just created a hit game…did really well on Game Pass in terms of engagement and won a ton of awards. Shouldn’t succeeding in that way ensure the future of a studio?"

Unfortunately, Sarah’s response (mentioned in the beginning) was not taken too kindly, with fans outraged at a "nothing burger".

Fans call the statement a nothing burger. (Image via X)

Users call Xbox's response as a word salad. (Image via X)

Another user called the response a "word salad", pointing at the total avoidance of the question at hand in favor of a generic answer that holds no merit on its own.

Several users are already doom posting, calling out Xbox on their move, labeling it as “lost and doomed”.

Users ask for transparency. (Image via X)

While players were sharing their disappointment, user @MldGhost emphasized more transparency, wanting more specifics. He stated that it could have helped control the chaos as people would understand the reason behind this move.

On the other hand, quite a fair number of users are calling for both Matt Booty and Phil Spencer to show up on stage and address the controversy, instead of having Sarah answer in their stead.

Fans call out Matt Booty. (Image via X)

Fans are understandably disappointed. (Image via X)

Several users also lament the state of things, calling it a "sad moment for Xbox". Coupled with Microsoft’s move toward multi-platform releases, and their general silence toward the layoffs, this does put a bad outlook on the future of Xbox. So much so that even long-time, otherwise fanatics have begun to abandon the brand entirely, making their opinions (and dissatisfactions) public in the process.

Things might have been a tad bit better if Sarah responded with a more genuine answer, but the inconclusive answer was seen as rather disingenuous by a majority of the community. While the fallout remains to be seen, it can be said without a shadow of a doubt that Xbox is in for some tough times ahead, and may experience a total change in its strategy.