After reports that Microsoft’s surprise shadow-drop game Hi-Fi Rush didn’t meet expectations, Xbox’s VP of Games Marketing has said the title was “a break-out success.”
Reports of Hi-Fi Rush not meeting expectations first circulated on April 20, after Jeff Grubb of Giant Bomb said “Based on what I’ve heard, it just straight up didn’t make the money it needed to make.”
Grubb’s comments came on his Games Mess podcast, where he’s regularly known to talk about insider information. Grubb continued by saying, “I mean it got good reviews, the buzz was good, so where do you put the blame for something like that? Is it the price? Was it the shadow drop? Could it have sold more? Is it Game Pass?”
Now contrary to that is Greenberg’s comments, taken from Twitter where he replied to Jez Corden, Managing Editor at Windows Central.
“Hi-Fi RUSH was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations,” says Greenberg “We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release.”
Of course, it’s entirely possible that both statements have a bit of truth to them. Hi-Fi Rush likely didn’t make as much money as Microsoft wanted, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an outright failure.
Hi-Fi Rush remains one of the highest-rated games of the year, sitting at 87 on Metacritic with over 50 reviews. It also has an Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam, with over 13,000 user reviews. Our own review awarded Hi-Fi Rush a 4.5/5, saying “Hi-Fi RUSH is a highly enjoyable action-adventure fuses the solid, hack n’ slash combat of Devil May Cry with enthralling rhythm-based mechanics, while also blurring the lines between anime and Saturday Morning Cartoons.”
It’s clear to see Hi-Fi Rush had an impact, especially as a shadow drop, but it’s easy to see how Xbox Game Pass might have cannibalized sales numbers for a smaller release like this. Whether or not we see more experience like Hi-Fi Rush likely depends on how much Xbox’s strategy hinges on Game Pass.
