Xbox surprised everyone when it shadow dropped Tango Gameworks' newest game Hi-Fi Rush right after the Xbox Developer_Direct. The game came out of nowhere, as one would think that it was unlikely Tango Gameworks would release another game so soon after Ghostwire: Tokyo. It also seemed like the Xbox Developer_Direct was only going to focus on Redfall, Minecraft Legends, Forza Motorsport, and The Elder Scrolls Online. No one was really expecting a wild game like Hi-Fi Rush to come out of it, but fans were pleasantly surprised.
Shadow dropping a game like Hi-Fi Rush seems like a bold strategy, but it seems to have paid off. The game has been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, suggesting that a lot of players have already fallen in lore with its colorful world. Its release has really helped Xbox start the year on a strong note, and maybe it is a sign of things to come. If Xbox is able to keep a game like this under wraps, then the studio may have even more up its sleeve for 2023.
Xbox's 2023 May Be Filled With Even More Shadow Drops
A common criticism of Xbox is that it lacks games, and last year was not a great year for the studio. Some of its biggest releases like Starfield were pushed back to 2023, and games like Halo Infinite seem to be struggling a bit. Microsoft also saw a 13% decline in gaming revenue in its second quarter earnings report, and it has been fighting with regulators over the Activision Blizzard acquisition for a little while now. While Xbox is far from falling apart, there seems to be a lack of major AAA titles driving it, and 2023 is its chance to prove itself.
2023 was already set to be a big year for Xbox Game Studios as Starfield, Redfall, and Forza Motorsport are all supposed to launch sometime this year. There are also major titles like Avowed, State of Decay 3, and Fable in various stages of production. All of these titles have a good shot at being popular upon release, and could also help drive Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. It feels like an exciting time for the company, and Hi-Fi Rush has helped start the year off strong.
Keeping a game like Hi-Fi Rush under wraps and then successfully launching it the day it is announced is no easy feat, but Tango and Xbox pulled it off with aplomb. Xbox Game Studios has a lot of developers under it, and they are all hard at work on delivering new experiences for players. While Xbox fans know about some of the biggest upcoming titles, there is a strong possibility that Xbox has even more up its sleeves that it is just waiting to release.
Xbox has now shown that it is willing to shadow drop titles from some of its major studios, and that means there is nothing stopping it from doing it again. Its next major event will hopefully be a summer conference at E3 2023, and that will no doubt be filled with brand-new announcements. Some of those announcements could very well come as Game Pass shadow drops, which would really help Xbox blaze its own trail in 2023, and give fans an exciting game-filled year after a disappointing 2022.
Xbox has also adopted the Nintendo Direct and PlayStation State of Play model, so January's Xbox Developer_Direct will probably not be the only direct this year. More showcases like this would allow Xbox to focus on a select few games in more detail, and maybe it could include a special announcement or two. If the company sprinkles these throughout the year and includes a shadow drop every so often, then Xbox players will have little reason to turn off their consoles.
Hi-Fi Rush is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.