Over the past week we have seen a massive shift in the narrative towards Microsoft and Xbox, primarily stemming from the recent closure of 4 internal Bethesda studios including Tango Gameworks of Hi-Fi Rush fame. In protest of this decision, fans have flocked to Hi-Fi Rush – making it the highest rated Xbox title on Steam.

The closure of Tango Gameworks came as a shock to all – including the studio itself – with many across the industry voicing their disbelief at this seemingly foolish decision. In response to Microsoft’s actions, fans have taken to protesting in a multitude of ways.

We previously reported on Phil Spencer having his house nuked by fans (in Fallout 76). Now, players have shifted their focus to Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush. While deemed to have been both a critical and commercial success by Microsoft, fans have now taken to Steam to prove this point further – with Hi-Fi Rush now not only being the highest rated Xbox/Bethesda game on the platform, but also one of the most played.

Over the past 24 hours, the relatively short, single player Hi-Fi Rush has surpassed Forza Motorsport’s (a live-service multiplayer AAA title) peak concurrent player count – with 900 players for Hi-Fi Rush vs 675 for Forza Motorsport.

It seems pretty clear at this point that industry wide, the reaction to Microsoft’s latest moves have been far from positive, and while you can’t put the genie back in the bottle, hopefully at the very least these types of protests can cut through to the higher levels of Microsoft’s management (as unlikely as that is).

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KitGuru says: What do you think of the whole Xbox situation? Did Microsoft shoot themselves in the foot? Let us know your thoughts down below.

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