Hi-Fi Rush was a dream project from The Evil Within 2’s director, pitched before Xbox and Bethesda deal

Hi-Fi Rush was a surprise for players during Xbox’s Developer Direct, where Tango Gameworks unveiled the game for the first time. Not only did they reveal Hi-Fi Rush, but they announced it was coming to Game Pass later that day and has become a knockout success. The action rhythm game is drastically different from their previous known works, namely The Evil Within series and Ghostwire Tokyo. John Johanas, the game director behind The Evil Within 2, shared that he pitched the idea of the game back in 2017 before the Xbox and Bethesda deal was announced.

Johanas shared this information on an Xbox Twitch livestream. In a highlight clip from that video, Johanas shares that after working on two horror games in a row, “this is the un-Bethesda game I could imagine, and this is going to be a long shot, but I have this idea.” Thus, the Hi-Fi Rush came to life with a shot in the dark in 2017.

Related: Hi-Fi Rush is a new rock and roll brawler, somehow from the people who made The Evil Within

Hi-Fi Rush was John Johanas' dream game, he pitched the idea in 2017 after finishing work on The Evil Within 2.

The game was in the works even before Gamepass and the Microsoft acquisition! But it worked out very well in the end. pic.twitter.com/kj6wHulWLI

— Dreamboum (@Dreamboum) January 27, 2023

The game was one of the big surprises from the Xbox Developer Direct that aired earlier this week. Although many fans were eager to hear more about some of the larger titles, such as Redfall, Hi-Fi Rush has done an excellent job of surging forward as a welcome surprise.

The track list in Hi-Fi Rush also makes the game stand out, featuring songs from Nine Inch Nails, The Joy Formidable, the Black Keys, and several others, alongside original songs that many fans are saying are enjoyable throwbacks. Johanas talked about how the team choreographed scenes using these songs, and while they were not presently smash hits, they were songs he grew up with and felt relatable as solid, good songs everyone could enjoy.

Hi-Fi Rush is available on the Xbox Series X/S, PC, and on Steam. Anyone with an Xbox Game Pass Subscription can download the song from the Xbox application for free. After only being out for nearly two days, the Steam reviews have it listed as an “overwhelmingly positive” title.