Xbox says Hi-Fi Rush was a success "in all key measurements" amid rumors of poor sales

(Image credit: Tango Gameworks)

Following rumors that Tango Gameworks' Hi-Fi Rush didn't meet sales expectations, Xbox marketing VP Aaron Greenburg is defending the "break out hit" as a success by all metrics.

It's worth noting upfront that this whole kerfuffle was caused by a passing comment made during a recent episode of Jeff Grubb's Game Mess podcast - and one Grubb himself has since softened in follow-up tweets. See, Grubb mentioned during the podcast that he had heard Hi-Fi Rush "didn't make the money it needed to make," and naturally that spurred numerous reports from publications suggesting the game was a financial failure.

After Grubb's comments began circulating online, Greenburg issued a brief statement to Twitter to clarify Xbox's position on Hi-Fi Rush. Xbox boss Phil Spencer retweeted Greenburg's statement but added no comment of his own.

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

Of course, as Grubb would later point out, it's extremely difficult to gauge a company's satisfaction with its own product when you don't know the metrics that company is using. Is it launch sales? Total sales to date? Game Pass engagement? It's also important to consider that Hi-Fi Rush was a wild card, a comedic action rhythm game from a studio best-known for The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo, so its success isn't going to be judged in the same way that a guaranteed juggernaut like Starfield will be.

"I shouldn'tve said 'needed' on the podcast," Grubb added. "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, HFR isn't a flop, and Tango's future is bright."

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.