The new game is reportedly a prequel to the Mafia trilogy, and will ditch the Mafia 3 engine in favor of Unreal Engine 5.ĢK Games declined to comment on the Kotaku report. While the Kotaku report only cites one source "familiar with the plans," a return to Mafia makes sense: Mafia 3 didn't impress but there was real enthusiasm for Mafia: Definitive Edition (opens in new tab), released in 2020, which has a "very positive" ranking across more than 35,000 user reviews on Steam (opens in new tab). After launching the decidedly-not-great Mafia 3 (opens in new tab) in 2016, the studio underwent "significant" layoffs (opens in new tab) in 2018, and had a multiplayer superhero game cancelled (opens in new tab) after spending $53 million on "multiple iterations" over years of development. It's been a rough half-decade for Hangar 13. "What an amazing ride at H13," Urban wrote on the site. Chief operating officer Matthew Urban has also moved on, according to his LinkedIn (opens in new tab) page, which indicates that he ended his time at the studio sometime in May 2022. All three adventures especially excel in terms of storytelling, making Mafia 4‘s rumored return to linearity all the more intriguing.Blackman isn't the only Hangar 13 executive to depart the studio in recent days. Lincoln Clay takes the driver’s seat in the third entry, allowing players to explore a reimagined version of 1960s New Orleans. The Czech team’s acclaimed sequel, Mafia II, focalizes Vito Scaletta, a World War II veteran who turns to a life of crime in the 40s and 50s. And the fate of the family results in consequences that ripple throughout both sequels.ĭeveloped by 2K Czech, the first Mafia game drops players into the role of young mafioso Tommy Angelo between the years of 19. Notably, Don Salieri plays an integral role in the franchise’s first entry, acting as the boss of protagonist Tommy Angelo. And as I did, I snickered at the brick comment. Since the details above remain uncorroborated, Mafia faithful would do well to not take Mafia 4 rumors at face value. A prequel does seem an interesting next step for the series, though, especially if it centers on the roots of the Salieri Crime Family. At least I won't have to endure that once I get out of here. Baker’s Mafia-related rumor mill talk begins around the 1:57:00 mark in the video linked below: Apparently, the experience will also feature a more linear structure akin to the first two entries, eschewing the open-world design that beset the Mafia 3 experience. Unsubstantiated information from one of Baker’s sources claims the next Mafia game will revolve around Don Salieri’s family in Sicily, Italy, during a period beginning in the late 19th Century and ending in the early 20th Century. In Episode 109 of The Xbo圎ra Podcast (via PlayStation Universe), co-host and industry insider Nick Baker offered more insight about Hangar 13’s alleged Mafia 4 project. Related: Mafia Titanic Mod Is Released After 15-Year-Long Development While 2K neglected to mention as much upon confirming Blackman’s exit, the Novato, California-based development house also lost its Chief Operating Officer, Matthew Urban. Hangar 13 has also undergone a bit of shakeup, evidenced by the departure of former Studio Head Haden Blackman who served as Creative Director on 2016’s underappreciated Mafia 3. Reportedly, 2K canceled the group’s work-in-progress superhero game, which never received so much as a tease despite production beginning sometime in 2017. The development team’s alleged pivot back to the crime-ridden world of Mafia is happening at quite the transformative time. Hangar 13 and publisher 2K Games have yet to corroborate these details at the time of writing. This bit of speculation follows on the heels of a Kotaku report claiming Mafia 4 recently entered development at Hangar 13, the production studio responsible for Mafia III as well as the original game’s stellar 2020 remake. According to a new rumor, 2K Games’ unconfirmed Mafia 4 title will take place in Sicily and focus more heavily on Don Salieri’s family.
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