A new report says a new mafia Game in development as multiple bosses leave studio hanger 13.
According to Kotaku, Hanger 13 studio head Haden Blackman is leaving the studio after seven years at the company, as 2K games earlier this week. The report noted that 2K Games wrote in an email to employees that Blackman would “pursue his passion in new endeavors,” a move Kotaku believes to accompany a new Mafia game in development, It is said to be a prequel.
“We thank Haden for his leadership in building Hangar 13, building and joining teams in Novato, Brighton, and the Czech Republic, and publishing multiple studio-defined Mafia games and collections,” 2K wrote in an internal email, shared by VentureBeat. “What Haden helped build will continue to thrive for years to come. We support all of our employees who pursue their passions, and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
According to Kotaku, COO Matthew Urban also left the studio, although this was not included in 2K’s email. The report goes on to explain that the staff changes occurred as Hanger 13 moved from its original project back to its established franchises like Mafia.
Nick Baines will replace Blackman, who is currently studio head in the Brighton UK office of Hanger 13, a new Mafia game said to be in development.It’s apparently codenamed Nero and planned to be made in Unreal Engine 5, not Mafia III For the recently remastered engine.
Hanger 13’s first game, the third entry in the Mafia series, was released in 2016, and later also worked on a Mafia remake, released in 2020. But unfortunately, the studio made two layoffs in 2017 and 2018, and there are several ideas for new IP that have been worked on then and since.
