Mafia studio Hangar 13 hit with more layoffs, reportedly working on a Top Spin reboot

Hanger 13, the studio behind Mafia 3, has reportedly been hit with another round of layoffs following the cancellation of several projects.

In a new report, it’s claimed that the Novoto, California based studio has seen almost 50 developers let go as of this week. This follows the resignation of the studio head Haden Blackman earlier this month. 

According to Kotaku, Nick Baynes, head of Hangar 13‘s Brighton, UK office, told staff “I know it sucks,” during a meeting earlier today.

“I’m sorry I’m not over there to deliver this message. I will be coming over soon. I know you need some local leadership and structure and we’re working on it.”

2K confirmed the layoffs in a statement provided in advance of Kotaku’s report.

“2K is fully committed to the future of Hangar 13 as the studio navigates a challenging but ultimately promising transition period,” it said.

“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.”

It’s also understood that some of Hangar 13 are now working on “Project Hammer,” which Kotaku understands to be a reboot of the Top Spin tennis series. This is expected to launch before the rumoured Mafia prequel, also in development at the studio.

It was claimed in November that 2K had cancelled a new title from Hangar 13. Codenamed Volt, the project had reportedly been in development in various forms since 2017.

But people said to be familiar with 2K’s decision told Bloomberg that work on the unannounced project has ceased.

The article’s author, Jason Schreier, claimed Volt was a new IP and that rumours of Hangar 13 making a Mafia 4 “were always false, aside from their early attempts in 2016-2017”.