Hi-Fi Rush Director Says Game Has Been in Development Since 2017, Pre-Bethesda Buyout

Hi-Fi Rush's director John Johanas has shot down claims that the game was made because of Xbox Game Pass, saying he pitched the idea in 2017.

[darkrider]

Of course it wasnt, only someone that knows nothing about games would think that. No game coming out from beteshda in next years is made because of gp or Microsoft got something to do. Maybe by 2026

[Orchard]

Does it really matter if it was 'made for it' or not? At the end of the day, it's a well received, high scoring, good game, that is on it, whether it was made for it or not 🤷

[Sonyslave3]

True not only that but Microsoft gives them the luxury to not rush games out look at StarField.

[shinoff2183]

It does if people are claiming it was. The guy was just airing it out. It was literally the only point of the article. If you didn't wanna hear it why did you click it

[crazyCoconuts]

I guess if you were giving credit, it would be hard to give MS credit on this one I guess. Nice that they didn't can it. Nice that they put it on GamePass. Nice that they didn't take it away from Playstation...oh wait...

[Orchard]

@shinoff Yep, both sides were trying to claim the game being on GP as some victory. This game wouldn't exist without gamepass, or it is cartoony because of GamePass. When in reality, it's a good game, regardless of GP.

@crazy You can't take away something that we don't know ever existed. Perhaps this was a Switch exclusive? We'll never know.

Similarly, Sony had the option of buying Zenimax, instead they chose to buy things like Bungie 🤷

[Godmars290]

As much of a fuss the Xbox fan camp is making over it, that its not exclusive to console hardware, that it very likely runs better on PC, just says they never understood what console wars are about. That they only care about brand names.

[HardKnockKid24]

It will be 2055 when you guys finally give Xbox credit for something, what a sad existence…. Now folks are running wild again with the Xbox took it away from PS non-sense….. by this logic, EVERY THIRD PARTY PS EXCLUSIVE was taken from Xbox. Heck, hogwarts launches in two weeks with exclusive quests for PS, that was taken from Xbox right??? Sheesh man so ridiculously one sided

[badz149]

@Orchard

you are trying too hard, AGAIN!

if the idea for the game originated back in 2017, so it's a safe bet that they were planning for a multiplat release and YES, it includes the PS4, which was BY FAR the better-selling console at the time. Switch exclusive? a 3rd party dev dedicated to making an exclusive for a Nintendo's hybrid which just released? - yeah, that makes total sense! - IDIOT!

and talking about "something that we don't know ever existed", since when was Bethesda, let alone Zenimax were up for sale? how do you know that Sony was offered to buy them? Sony was always buying devs here and there in the past but never a publisher and it was an unprecedented move by MS to buy Zenimax!

oh...and before somebody call me being salty over Hi-Fi, just save your breath, I don't like rhythmic games. learned my lesson with Patapon games, tried so hard to love them but the rhythmic gameplay killed my enjoyment of the game! such a shame too.

[crazyCoconuts]

@orchard if it was a switch exclusive it would still be so. The contracts survive acquisition.
And Bungie was less than half of what Zenimax cost. And last I checked, Destiny 2 is still releasing expansions on Xbox.
I mean, I get it, Xbox needs some wins, but let's be honest. MS bought a game that was going to be released cross platform and took it away from PS to improve their standing. I understand why, but I'm not going to give them credit for being a hero here

[Crows90]

It matters bc we have yet another multiplatform IP taken from other platforms

[Xb1ps4]

That's too gamer of you to say! How dare you like a non Sony game! 😤/s

[Sonyslave3]

Dude you do know Zenimax answers to MS, they can cancel any project they want because they aka MS is responsible for them. Hell MS can go walk in Bethesda HQ and be like drop everything you guys are doing and start working on the next ElderScroll.

Hell we just had an article about Obsidians head honcho talking about he want to make a Fallout game before he retire and guess what gonna happen if Microsoft said yes nothing Bethesda can’t do shit about it but leave (Tom only).

[darkrider]

Microsoft can't cancel any game, because they cant afford that. That's why 2022 was not light, it was an empty year...

[cthulhucultist]

Its funny how it is ok (and at times celebrated) to lock important former multiplat games from other consoles like final fantasy 16, street fighter 6, Star Wars Remake, Spider Man, Silent Hill to PS5.

However when a smaller scale new IP discarded as gamepass filler/shovelware by fanboys (for which they dont care as they claim) is released on Xbox and PC, it is considered by the same people a bad practice.

MS started this awful trend with third party exclusive agreements (and continues to do so) yet Sony followed suit.

Gamers who dont have access to both consoles are the ones on the losing side.

[Tapani]

Just build a cheap gaming PC and you do!

[crazyCoconuts]

When Sony buys exclusivity for Street Fighter, I don't say "Good job, Sony!" . It's more of a "that sucks for Xbox" I agree, these exclusive deals are not gamer friendly. The corporate take would be that it brings more people over to their platform so they have more money to do other things for the customer. It's a necessary evil for sure.
As an aside I'd take spider man out of your list since it's developed by an in-house studio as a new game.

[Crows90]

No it's not ok. Only one console base celebrates this crap

[Obscure_Observer]

"Of course it wasnt, only someone that knows nothing about games would think that."

"Looks interesting but seems like a game specifically made for Gamepass"

https://n4g.com/news/253289...

[glennhkboy]

Of cause it will be everything about Microsoft, it's call MONEY!!!! Games that coming out from Bethesda/ Blizzard/ King are all funded by Microsoft since 2021. Yes, the development of those projects are started before that time, but Microsoft's money does turn those projects into a finish project (the 2 exceptions maybe Deathloop & Tokyo Wire, which are partially funded Sony).

[Deathdeliverer]

Like I said and the FTC too for that matter, Microsoft bought up these companies to 1) Stop them from coming on PlayStation consoles and 2) Actually have exclusives come out (that everyone would have got otherwise) AND make them available on gamespass so it would be more attractive than the creativity starved first party titles it would have been drip fed. Now they overnight have games that were years in the making coming out.

[HardKnockKid24]

To your first and second point I ask you this…… did PS ever stop games from coming to Xbox? Would Forspoken be on Xbox right now if it wasn’t for Sony? Did they buy exclusivity to actually have exclusives at the front of the year? Apply this to Death Stranding, FF16, FF7, Hogwarts(quest), etc.. I think we’ve got to be fair across the board. Just because it’s not steps ABC doesn’t mean others haven’t taken steps XYZ to the same result. Sony actively gets content restricted from Xbox to not even a fraction of this outcry. When they bought insomniac it was great because they had a history of working with them, well so did MS with Bethesda…. Fair is fair…. We have to move on

[The3faces]

Facts 💯

[darkrider]

I really can't understand how hard is for some Microsoft gamers understand what are timed exclusive, something that I even think was an idea of Microsoft...

The second one is one studio is not the same as publishers.

The other lie, sony worked with beteshda, because, againg, it was their biggest seller on consoles... They even got timed exclusives for this Gen...

Comparing the relationship of Microsoft with beteshda and Sony with insomniac is just ridiculous and that just shows you got no idea of the history of videogaming and what insomniac means for Sony since the ps1.

[Deathdeliverer]

You are really comparing timed exclusives to BUYING THE PARENT COMPANY. You do realize that timed exclusives started on NES vs Sega Master system huh? You do realize EVERY company did timed content starting in the 360 Era right? Kojima is working in a game for just Xbox as we speak the same way he did Death stranding for PlayStation. Those deals have been happening forever. This is purchasing the PARENT company to permanently keep titles off other systems. Not a game or DLC for 3 months, 6 months, a year. Permanently. Far from the same.
People love bringing up Square Enix games but they have a special relationship with Sony. They’d have lost their business if not for Sony buying majority shares when they were down and out and helping them get back financially stable. The SOLD the shares back to them. I don’t know about you but I’d be grateful. Didn’t take their business or let them sink.
When Sony bought insomniac who was insomniacs parent company? What Xbox games stopped coming out thanks to that purchase? What series on Xbox got scrapped? Insomniac was an independent developer. If Microsoft bought a developer like you say they did with Bethesda, it would be fine. They bought Zenimax. Totally different. Like if they bought treyarch, that would be one thing. Buying Activision is a completely different one. How people don’t get that, timed, and permanent differences is beyond me.
Lastly, Sony blocked MS from getting content? How physically? Mentally? Only thing I can think of is financially. If you believe Sony said hey, how much is it going to cost us to keep Billy goats playhouse off Xbox and the company that pays BILLIONS for purchases couldn’t outbid you really should recalibrate your logic.
What DOES happen is “Hey, that game you’re working on looks great. Can we offer some prominent advertising on our systems store, help pay some development cost, and foot part of the TV advertising bills for 6 months exclusivity.” That is how Microsoft would go on E3 and show games on stage that also came to PlayStation 6 months later but at the time Microsoft called it exclusive. Again, everyone has been doing that since NES or possibly SNES.
Lastly, look on YouTube for the PS5 version of Naraka Bladepoint. You can see it being played, talked about by the devs, and even a stylish box for the game. That’s how far it was in development. How that game went from that to ONLY coming out on Xbox is a back alley deal that still has me confused. Draw your own conclusions. But stop making these seem apples to apples on matters that clearly aren’t.

[HardKnockKid24]

I’m genuinely perplexed at the thought processing here…. First, @darkrider, I’m not even reply to anything you have to say. I’m not here to personally attack anyone or be personally attacked, have a fantastic life.
@deathdeliverer timed exclusivity effectively kills the game sales for the later receiving platform, I bought Deathloop on PS5 though I knew it was coming to Xbox because of the acquisition. And also, yah, MSFT did have a great relationship with Bethesda from a long time ago, TES3 was Xbox Exclusive, Oblivion was out on Xbox first. Xbox was not around as long as Insomniac and Sony’s special relationship so this is THEIR special relationship. And listen a publisher these days most times is just a collection of smaller devs…. If the point being made is that Zenimax gave Xbox a bunch of studios and that’s not fair, well PS and Xbox now have a similar amount of studios…. What would make it fair? If they stretched out acquiring Zenimax over 20 years? Something tells me that would even still not be ‘fair’. And on the restricting games lol dude YES that’s exactly what an exclusivity deal IS!! “Hey dev/publisher, here’s this amount of money, don’t put your game on this other console” am I missing something here?? These two mega corporations aren’t good and evil dude, they’re profit and profit, there’s no moral compass involved here. Let’s please stop making it seem as if Sony has not done everything MS is being accused of. We put these qualifiers on just to absolve them of wrong doing but giving a line of time long enough and the resources they would make the same choices.

[Godmars290]

MS bought up those companies because said companies have recognized, popular IPs where the IPS they've attempted to make seem to have ever dwindling lifespans. They're removal from Sony's access is a short term bonus if those IP remain viable and/or unanswered by better games from 3rd parties if not Sony. Something very likely to happen if MS's habit for diminished quality holds true.

And how are people complaining about Sony's bouts of timed exclusivity when MS was heavily riding that wave with GTA and COD back in the 360 days?

[Flawlessmic]

This clarification is important for fanboys of both sides to end false stories either way, but for those of us that just game who cares.

Best thing iv played on my xbox since forza 5, brilliant game, hopefully will have it completed before hogwarts releases.

[HardKnockKid24]

Good on you, love the objectivity

[Godmars290]

Issue still remains:

Unannounced 3rd party title manages to deliver - vs - 1st party title promoted for months faceplants.

[roadkillers]

Having this game come out of nowhere has really lit up the internet. Really cool!

[miccasx]

jogo top

[Minute Man 721]

People need to stop insulting "GamePass"