After the launch of Mafia 3, the Hangar 13 development studio didn’t have an easy time. Instead of preparing the fourth chapter in the series (Mafia 4), the subsidiary of 2K Games would have decided to devote itself to a new IP with sci-fi elements. Unfortunately, the game, codenamed Volt, was discarded in 2021. From this, it seems it was natural for the developers to return to its most famous saga.
Mafia 5 Planned Alongside Mafia 4 Development
According to rumors, Hangar 13 has been downsized by 2K Games but is still operational. 2K has confirmed the wave of layoffs, but says the studio is in a transition phase, saying it is doing everything possible to reassign some employees to other 2K projects and teams. This wave of dismissals also comes after the cancellation of the Volt project, which would have cost the group more than 50 million dollars.
Since then, it was known that Hangar 13 is currently working on a prequel to the Mafia series under Unreal Engine 5, but it was also confirmed that another team is working on Project Hammer, which would actually be a new Top Spin, the famous tennis game license. So, it means that the developers are eventually working on a tennis game and on Mafia 4, which apparently had to struggle for a long time to get approved.
Furthermore, according to the words of another developer, it seems that the president of Hangar 13, Nick Baynes, would be trying to get the work on Mafia 5 approved immediately. This would allow for a simpler transition, so as to prevent getting stuck in limbo as has happened in recent years.
Recall that Mafia 4 should be a more linear game than the previous chapter, which was developed as an open-world title. The game does not yet have a launch window, as it is still in the early stages of development.
And you, what do you think? Are you looking forward to Mafia 4 and the chapters to come?