Silent Hill Creator Keiichiro Toyama Reacts to Surprise Closure of The Evil Within Developer Tango Gameworks

Keiichiro Toyama, creator of Silent Hill and director of upcoming horror title Slitterhead, has commented on Microsoft’s shock closure of Tango Gameworks in May 2024.

Speaking to VGC, Toyama used the example of Elden Ring developer FromSoftware as a “successful” studio because, while Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are different games, they all feature the studio’s signature gameplay loop.

By contrast, Tango Gameworks, founded in 2010 by horror game visionary and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, has jumped from genre to genre, from a similar third-person survival horror franchise, The Evil Within, to rhythm-based action game Hi-Fi Rush, to the creepy but not strictly horror first-person open-world action platformer, Ghostwire: Tokyo.

Hi-Fi Rush is a smaller-scale game than Tango Gameworks’ previous titles, lacking the dark themes the studio was known for. But Microsoft claimed it was a success, reaching two million players in a month and receiving widespread praise from critics. A year after its launch, however, Microsoft shocked the gaming world by shutting down Tango Gameworks.

“I don’t think it’s my role to give them advice, but I think going back to what I said earlier about the balance between routine and preserving the style of play is relevant,” Toyama said of the shutdown.

“Take FromSoftware for example: they keep making different games, but some styles and aspects of their games stay the same. This is a clear example of how a studio succeeds. Not changing everything every time can be the key to survival.”

The closure of Tango Gameworks was accompanied by other layoffs at Microsoft, including the closure of Redfall developer Arkane Austin as part of cutbacks affecting 1,900 employees.

Microsoft gaming executives have so far remained vague on the exact reasons for the closures, but Xbox boss Phil Spencer later discussed them with IGN.

“I have to run a sustainable business within the company and grow it, and that sometimes means I have to make tough decisions that, frankly, are not decisions I like, but decisions that somebody has to make,” he said.

Meanwhile, FromSoftware’s Elden Ring has sold an incredible 25 million copies, and the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has sold five million copies in just three days.

Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance journalist for IGN. He talks about The Witcher all day long.