Mafia 3 developer Hangar 13 is laying off developers at its main office in Novato, California and its international locations, according to multiple reports.
Kotaku reported that just under 50 people in the Novato office are being let go; the office had 87 employees before the cuts, it was reported, so the layoffs are significant. The extent of the cuts to Hangar 13’s international offices is unknown. Bloomberg also reported about layoffs at Hangar 13 today.
Studio head Haden Blackman resigned earlier this month. He was replaced by Nick Baynes, who reportedly informed staffers of the cuts during a meeting today, May 26. “I know it sucks,” Baynes said, according to Kotaku.
Hangar 13 was founded in 2014. It released Mafia III in 2016 and Mafia: Definitive Edition in 2020. This is just the latest round of layoffs at Hangar 13, as the studio cut jobs in 2017 and 2018.
According to Kotaku, Hangar 13’s new game, Volt, was canceled in 2021 after parent company Take-Two reportedly spent $50 million on it. Looking ahead, Hangar 13’s other office in Brighton, UK is now developing a Mafia prequel in Unreal Engine 5 and set in Italy, according to a report.
Additionally, the report said Hangar 13 is now being used in part as an “in-source” studio for Take-Two, being assigned to projects from the company’s wider network such as Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Midnight Suns, and Kerbal Space Program 2.
What’s more, Hangar 13 is now reportedly making a new Top Spin tennis game under the codenamed Project Hammer. It’s supposedly scheduled to release before the new Mafia prequel. 2011’s Top Spin 4 is the latest entry in the series.
A spokesperson for 2K released a statement to GameSpot, which you can read below.
“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.”
Source: Gamespot
