With Xbox’s Bethesda acquisition now finalized, fans are excited to find out what next-gen titles would now be making their way to the Xbox ecosystem. As a matter of fact, Xbox’s first-party studios have never looked so diverse. This isn’t solely because all these studios are working on games from different genres and would have something unique to offer. It’s also because of the cultural and ethical diversity it brings to the Xbox table. One such unique addition to theXbox family is Tango Gameworks, the developer behindThe Evil Withingames.
For those unfamiliar, Tango Gameworks is the home to the father of the survival horror genre, Shinji Mikami. His work dates back to the early days of console gaming, especially when the horror genre wasn’t the epicenter of the AAA games industry. After creating the iconicResident Evilfranchise at Capcom, and several other projects afterward, Mikami opened his new game development studio Tango Gameworks. Since being a part of Zenimax Media, the studio has released two criminally underrated entries inThe Evil Withinseries.
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What the Addition of Tango Gameworks Means for Xbox
Recent Xbox maneuvers indicate that the company is willing to go to any extent to diversify its Xbox game pass library. While Xbox has always boasted a strong FPS lineup of games such asHaloandGears of War, its recent acquisitions indicate that the company is all set to pave way for other genres to blossom and, as such, create a whole new set audience for its game subscription service. With key acquisitions such as Obsidian Entertainment, inXile Entertainment, and Bethesda Game Studios, Xbox is already being stated as thehome of western RPGs. With the addition of Tango Gameworks, Xbox is also set to expand its horizon to the survival horror genre, something that its first-party library has been severely lacking until now.
Interestingly, Xbox Game Pass has added some notable third-party and second-party horror games to its library in the last few months.Bloober Team’sThe Mediumwas the first next-gen horror title, taking full advantage of the console’s ultra-fast SSD and ray-tracing capabilities, to launch directly on game pass. Moreover, the grotesque-looking upcoming Xbox Series X/S console exclusiveScorn, whose roots take it back to the H.R. Giger’s work on 1979’s classic sci-fi movieAlien,will directly release on the game pass as well.
Aside from these notable second-party additions, game pass users have access to some universally praised third-partyhorror gamessuch asResident Evil 7,Dead by Daylight,Dead Space trilogy,Alan Wake,Alien Isolation, etc.The Evil Withinon top of all of this is just the icing on the cake. More importantly, it’s a glimpse of what lies ahead for the future of survival horror at Xbox.
The Evil Withingames served as a perfect reminder ofwhy everyone lovesResident Evil 4in the first place. BothThe Evil WithinandThe Evil Within 2evolved from the groundwork that Mikami laid in Resident Evil 4 about 16 years ago. However, these games have their own set of issues, and most of them are technical. The Evil Within games has always felt a little rough around the edges with low-key texture pop-in and frame rate issues.
In contrast, the recentResident Eviltitlessuch asResident Evil 7,Resident Evil 2, andResident Evil 3 Remakefeels more refined thanks to the RE engine. Being part of Xbox means Tango Gameworks will be able to tap into Xbox’s resources to polish their titles to a greater extent. In the Bethesda Xbox Roundtable, Todd Howard talked about seeking advice from Phil Spencer and his team in regards toFallout 76. Interestingly this happened before the acquisition had finished. With Xbox now backing up Bethesda’s current and future projects, there will be more focus on polishing and refining these titles to meet the first-party standard the company has set.
During the Roundtable, Spencer expressed his desire to go to Tokyo to visit Tango Gameworks and meet Mikami and his team. Tango is currently hard at work on its upcoming action-adventure titleGhostWire: Tokyo, which ironically is aPS5 console exclusive. Microsoft has reiterated multiple times that it will honor the current exclusivity deals and contractual obligations the studios have with other publishers. Keeping that in mind,it seemsGhostWire: Tokyowon’t likely be headed to Xbox anytime soon. However, with Spencer interested in visiting Tango, it wouldn’t be surprising if the studio is already cooking up a AAA new IP that would be exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem.
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Going Full Circle
PlayStation has primarily been the home to iconic survival horror franchises such asResident EvilandSilent Hill. The originalResident Evillaunched on PlayStation 25 years ago with Shinji Mikami at its helm. With Mikami and his team now a part of Xbox, Tango Gameworks has the opportunity to go full circle with a brand new game for the Xbox ecosystem.
In a recent interview with Variety, Mikami candidly confessed that he would want to direct one more video game project before he retires. It’s interesting to note that he didn’t serve as the director forThe Evil Within 2and neither is he directing the upcomingGhostWire: Tokyo. One of Tango Gameworks' core principles is to allow young creators to helm the project, while Mikami provides support when needed. However, as mentioned before, he would be interested in directing one last game under one condition. He says, “My thinking is that if I had a chance to make a game from the beginning to end that’s completely my vision, then definitely, that would be my big last project as a director.”
Fortunately, Xbox is known to provide quite the creative freedom to tackle projects on their own terms. Game pass has made it easier for games to find an audience and is allowing developers and publishers to take more creative risks. As such, Mikami has the perfect opportunity, brimming with Xbox’s resources, to direct one last big project that could solidify his legacy for good.
For the time being, Xbox game pass users who haven’t tried the game yet have the perfect opportunity to find outwhat makesThe Evil Withinso special. As Tango Gameworks take three to four years to develop a new title, it’s unlikely that the studio will announce its next project anytime soon. However, with Xbox’s helping hands, things could take a slightly different road. Irrespective of what lies ahead, Tango Gameworks' addition to the Xbox family has paved way for a new era of survival horror games on Game Pass, one that begins withThe Evil Within.
The Evil Withinis available on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
