With Krafton taking over, what’s next for Hi-Fi Rush? New updates could bring a lot of AI-generated content

Hi-Fi Rush was one of the standout hits of 2023. On Steam, it reached 10,000 reviews within just a month and still has an overwhelmingly positive rating. The game won many awards, including Best Audio Design at The Game Awards 2023 and Best Animation at BAFTA. Despite this success and gaining over 2 million players in just a few months, Tango Gameworks, the studio behind it, was shut down about a year after launch. Krafton acquired Tango Gameworks from Microsoft in August 2024, and in November 2025, after a long silence, they announced they now own the publishing rights and promised new updates. So, what kind of future awaits the game?

Is it going to be an AI-powered revival?

For Hi-Fi Rush fans, this should be promising news. The official game account on X shared a post confirming the publisher change, and new updates are planned to “roll out progressively.” The question now is what kind of updates we can expect. Given Krafton’s reputation hasn’t been the best lately, the direction these updates might take is concerning, and how much AI-generated content could be involved.

Source: X @hifiRush

Krafton and Subnautica’s original creators are caught up in a legal fight. When Krafton bought Unknown Worlds, the deal included a massive $250 million bonus if Subnautica 2 hit certain financial goals. The former studio heads, Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill, say Krafton stalled the game’s early access launch and pulled support just to avoid paying that bonus.

Fans aren’t happy either, with some accusing Krafton of sabotaging the project on purpose. And the criticism isn’t limited to Subnautica, players of other Krafton games have been speaking out too.

Things took an even messier turn with Krafton in October, when the company announced it was going all-in on AI – not just as a helpful tool, but as part of their core operations. They’re aiming to use AI in creative, managerial, and technical roles across the board. Alongside that announcement, Krafton rolled out a “voluntary resignation” program. The company says it’s not a layoff and is meant to “support” employees during the transition, but many employees and players aren’t buying it and see it as a quieter way to cut jobs.

So I’ll say it again, it might not be an entirely reassuring moment for Hi-Fi Rush fans. There’s no clear sense of what direction the upcoming updates will take, or how much of that content might end up being AI created.

Hi-Fi Rush

January 25, 2023

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• Overview

• action games
• AI / Artificial Intelligence
• Bluehole / Krafton
• acquisition of brand / license