Despite universal praise, Hi-Fi Rush has seemingly not met internal expectations set by Microsoft. A new report claims the action title from developer Tango Gameworks failed to "make the money it needed," though Microsoft has since suggested otherwise.

Jeff Grubb, of GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb, discussed Hi-Fi Rush on his Game Mess Decides podcast. "... Based on what I've heard, it just straight up didn't make the money it needed to make," he said. "I mean it got good reviews, the buzz was good, so where do you put the blame for something like that? Is it the price? Was it the shadow drop? Could it have sold more? Is it Game Pass?"

In January, Microsoft revealed and surprise-launched Hi-Fi Rush during a Developer Direct event. The strategy received praise at the time, though an Xbox marketing manager said it wouldn't work for every game.