Hangar 13 – the developer behind Mafia 3 is reportedly laying off developers at its main office in Novato, California and in it’s European locations
Kotaku reported that in the Novato offices 50 employees are being let go, the cuts are quite significant as the team comprises only 87 employees.
Studio head Haden Blackman resigned last month, giving over his position to Nick Baynes who underwent the restructuring via virtual meeting. Baynes called the news “Horrible” and reassured the remaining employees that there would not be any further lay-offs.
“All of you who are here now, you’re Hangar 13 still and will continue to be so,” he said in the meeting as heard by Bloomberg.
The changes come as a result of last year’s cancellation of a $50 million project, code-named Volt, and then a quieter cancellation of another project, code-named Mosiac, according to a source familiar with the company’s internal matters.
A spokesperson for 2K commented on the restructuring, stating that they are committed to helping the affected employees find new employment within the network and have a positive outlook on the future of the company:
“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 restructuring will bring focus to new projects and the continuity of Hangar 13 as a studio. One of which is a newer entry into the Mafia series set in Italy and another is a new Top Spin Tennis game – the last entry was in 2011.
Hangar 13’s location is in Novato. It is located on a decommissioned Air Force base called Hamilton Army Airfield.
