Apparently things are not going well at Hangar 13, the developers of Mafia III (and allegedly also Mafia IV). Again, a lot of staff was cut and one of the studio bosses is gone too.
Since the release of Mafia III, Hangar 13 seems to have been stuck in the hustle and bustle. As has now become known, there were again heavy layoffs in all three branches. In Novato, California alone, 50 of the approximately 87 employees are said to have been put on the street. And that shortly after studio boss Haden Blackman announced his resignation.
Since 2016, the release of Mafia III, there have always been layoffs at Hangar 13. A number of projects have been cancelled, such as a project named Volt last autumn. The more or less unemployed studio has recently been busy with supporting work for other studios and projects under the Take-Two flag, such as Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Kerbal Space Program 2 and Marvel’s Midnight Suns.
Apparently two projects are currently being worked on, for which Hangar 13 is being restructured. The Brighton office is said to be engaged in early production of a Mafia prequel, while other parts of the studio are working on Project Hammer, which is said to be a reboot of the Top Spin series. Apparently, Hangar 13 will focus on these two brands and will be rebuilt accordingly.
In einem Statement bestätigte Hangar- 13-Eigentümer 2K, dass sich Hangar 13 in einer schwierigen Übergangsphase befindet und man alles daran setze, die freigestellten Mitarbeiter so weit es geht in anderen Teams von 2K unterzubringen: “2K is fully committed to the future of Hangar 13 as the studio navigates a challenging but ultimately promising transition period. As part of our ongoing evaluations to ensure our resources are aligned with our goals, we have made some changes that have resulted in a reduction of positions and parting ways with some colleagues. These decisions are always difficult. We are doing all we can to work with the impacted employees to find them new roles on other projects and teams at 2K, and are providing full support to those who cannot be redeployed, connecting them with industry networks and resources to find new opportunities outside of 2K.”
The Mafia Trilogy combines the three games in the series in one package. The first part has been completely revised and shines in a completely new guise as Mafia: Definitive Edition.
