Hi-Fi Rush Was a 'Break Out Hit' for Xbox in 'All Key Measurements and Expectations' - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 21 April 2023 / 11,886 Views
There was a report that Hi-Fi Rush had not met sales expectations by Microsoft, however, Microsoft's GM of Xbox games marketing Aaron Greenberg has shot that down saying the game was a "break out hit" and did meet expectations.
"Hi-Fi Rush was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations," said Greenberg. "We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release."
Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythm-action game that was announced and released on January 25 of this year for the Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Xbox Game Pass.
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.
— Aaron Greenberg 🙅🏼♂️💚U (@aarongreenberg) April 21, 2023
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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It's funny how Grubb will make a comment on a podcast, people run with it, then he backtracks on what he says to "clarify" lol. He was so far up his own ass on this one that it actually got Xbox to respond xD
Why does anyone still listen to the likes of Grubb or Jez?!
Grubb was correct for Metroid Remastered
You mean the one that he was talking about since 2019 and he even admitted he was wrong, got a haircut because of it, then just so happened he was right years later? Yeah I’m not giving him an inch on that one.
Come on, he lost all of his hair
Haha fair enough! Although I think he looks better out of it :)
That's a bit of misinformation. He knew it existed. He said it was "A big boy remaster" for a while and he was only wrong on the release timing. Prime Remastered could have released easily last year. It was done or at least near completion about a year and a half before it launched according to classifications.
Grubb cut his hair simply because Nintendo is unpredictable. They literally sit on games for months or in some cases over a year. Heck, Fire Emblem Engage completed development in 2021 but it released this year, 2023.
And no one here could really say you are wrong. Sure it is possible it is still in development, polishing, adding content. But similar wise it is very likely that it is ready whenever they want to boost sales (or is launch title for the next console).
He was also wrong about Xbox Live gold being phased out. I like the guy but he’s had some pretty high profile misses
Being wrong about the outcome is not necessarily being wrong with the information. Things change. So "company X is planning to do Y" isn't wrong simply because company X decides to do z instead.
I always take rumors with a big grain of salt. But you are totally right that sometimes he may have heard a credible information of company planning something (and the person that gave the info being either outdated at the time or the plans changing from when he heard it from when the company formally post whatever it was about). And that is one of the main reasons I take rumors with grain of salt (even more if they are negative).
Microsoft is also expanding Tango gameworks.
Good for them. Hope this is a major studio for Microsoft going forward
I see the usuals are already running with the “he’s lying” nonsense.
If the speculation Grubb was making was true, the PR move would be to ignore it, not damage control a niche $30 title and call more attention to it.
Greenberg's words mean nothing. Microsoft seems to be allergic to numbers.
I mean, they had a record setting 2022 in revenue. That’s probably all they care about.
Plus, John Johanas, the Director of Hi-Fi retweeted Greenberg. So unless you want to call the Director of the game a liar…..
I didn't call anyone a liar. But its meaningless PR blabber. If the numbers are good let them speak for themselves. Xbox never shares any numbers that matter publicly. Its always number of players or millions of hours played but nothing concrete. We don't know how many Series X and S consoles have been sold, how many Gamepass subscribers, nothing...
Numbers are meaningless to a platform that focuses on subscriptions and rentals. Its not a hard concept to grasp.
Subscription numbers and rental numbers are still numbers. Why not provide those then?
You are on a site that is dedicated to tracking and documenting sales figures and you are really going to argue against more transparency and accurate data?
Why do you need to know these numbers?
Correction, I am on this site to read about gaming news. Sale numbers are nothing more than fanboy fodder. The sooner we move away from that toxicity the better the gaming community becomes.
Well there are lots of sites you can read gaming news on. This just happens to be one that specializes/focuses on tracking and archiving sales and shipment information. I come here because I'm interested about salea across the industry and I figure that's the case for a lot of folks that come here as well.
As such its really weird that you would argue with someone who is making the case for more numbers and clearer data. Especially as it is on topic for the article at hand.
The news is about the performance of a recent title and instead of giving any clear numbers we are just provided with vague PR buzzword that don't shed any light on the situation. If the exec wants to back up what he is saying what is the harm in providing numbers? It goes back to the point that no one really knows what counts as success for MS these days because they don't tell us.
And as far as I know every single news on this site comes from a different place, so it isn't like VGC have a big news reporters team. We do have plenty of original articles and they usually are regarding sales. So yep, if someone doesn't care about sales or equivalent numbers there are likely a lot of other sites for better or worse.
This response was due to a bunch of fanboys on Twitter claiming Hi Fi Rush is a flop because it isnt charting on the NPD.
No one really knows and no one needs to know. You are the customer not the investor.
I agrue this point to move on from childish console warring which plagues the communuty. Numbers only add to the flames.
So you believe they are showing the sales number to investors?
Correction. I am a Microsoft investor actually.
And you really are going to take the position that having publicly available sale or shipment information is a bad thing? That its ability to be used a fuel for console wars stuff outweighs its other usefulness and value?
Wow, i guess VGchartz should just remove all the sales data from this site. It would be doing a civic good by not fueling console warring. The site can just be called VG.com.
Never said VG needs to shut down numbers since Nintendo and Sony still announce theirs.
However if MS dont want to disclose numbers to the public because their buisness model doesnt revolve around phyiscal sales than more power to them.
So tell me, what useless stuff do you or others gain from these numbers apart from a ego measuring contest?
So you are a investor yet you arent told the sales? Interesting, what type of investor are you exactly? We talking shares?
Jesus H. Christ, even the mildest criticism of Xbox is like turning on the Bat Signal for you. Every. Single. Time. You spend more time spin-doctoring Xbox news than Microsoft itself does.
This site is dedicated to video game numbers. It's pretty telling that Xbox doesn't disclose its actual sales numbers. If Xbox or its games were setting sales records, they'd be screaming it from the rooftops. It doesn't have anything to do with "console wars" or "fanboys." They don't give a damn about any of that stuff. The fact is, they're embarrassed about how they're doing.
Wheres the Spin?
I am basing it off what the actual CEO said. Sounds more like you are trying to justify your own logic with a stated fact.
You are free to look up any numbers you like, but stop crying because a company doesn't want to fuel your console war agenda. Its just a plastic box.
The problem with revenue is that on it's own, it's not a good metric.
"Record revenue" with 23 studios, 500$ console and a 15$/month subscription service, of course you make more revenue than your previous 250$ console ans 4 studios. But they don't disclose how much profit they make out of it (and they already told they made no profit from console sales).
It's like the discussion about Rovio, revenu is stellar but profit is meh
The game came out in 2023, so what does the "record numbers" of 2022 have to do with this?
I was referring to the "allergic to numbers" statement. MS seems to only care about revenue numbers since that's all they currently provide, and 2022 was their highest ever.
I'm like everyone else though. I would much rather MS be actually open with their numbers on every front that we care about.
Gotcha, that certainly makes sense. I would say that the most probable reason why MS is sharing revenue is because it was where they had growth (as they used to also share the growth on GP and long ago sales number).
But anyway even if Hi Fi done terrible in sales I do consider it a very good game.
It is a fantastic game and absolutely a GOTY contender.
So no harm giving us the sales numbers right?
I imagine the sales are low. Probably got a ton of play on Game Pass though.
Why do you keep persisting with this? They made it clear, they dont do sales numbers anymore.
Because they don't give any credible numbers it is always "it done good believe us". And as always I will remember you this is a sales forum so a lot of us like to see them.
Its none of your buisness what they sell. If they choose not to disclose sales numbers than its their choice.
The question you need to ask yourself is "why do you need to know?"
One could say it is none of your business what I post but you still come and reply anyway.
The reason I need to know is because I'm curious about sales, reason why I come to this site to see the numbers from the 3 manufacturers and also the 3rd party best sellers.
I am not the one whinging about disclosed sales numbers which dont affect gamers in and way, shape or form.
Getting too personal now. I deleted that section of the comment because it wasn't needed but wasn't quite bad enough to get you banned.
Take this as a very clear warning to cut it out.
Microsoft's sales numbers are so low they hide it. They don't want investors up their nose challenging why they have invested tens of billions into the gaming industry for 20 years and still a distant 3rd place (last place) in the industry.
None logical response. Those huge investors know, its people like you they avoid. Toxicity is not a good thing.
Why did this come out just after shinji mikami leaving
Greenberg's response was spurred on by what Jeff Grubb recently said.
Tango game works
It's in its title
It don't have a lot of sales coz it was on gamepass day one simple as that
and yet other game sell over 10m while bein on the service - so if this game doenst sell big and did big gamepass numbers, thats on the game or the pariticulars of the scenerio(s) around it, not "welp its on Game Pass, so of course it sold less"
you do know that MS never claimed that all games sell better, nor did that data say all games sell worse. Different games are affected differently - but what really matters to them or thei developer is if the system makes them more or less money.
How can an unnanounced game be a break-out hit "..players.. expectations". Nobody expected anything as the players didn't know about the game in the first place.
Curiously want to know....
If you expect no gamers and you got some you smashed your forecast =P
Just because it was shadow dropped doesn’t mean MS wouldn’t have internal projections and expectations for sales and engagement.
PLAYERS expectations. It says right in the news....
No, it says “us and our players” in all key measurements and expectations. Players would obviously be part of the measurements.
