![](https://cdn.80.lv/api/upload/content/3e/images/6274d77cc4140/widen_920x0.jpeg)
Haden Blackman, the head of Mafia III studio Hangar 13, is stepping down from his role and leaving publisher 2K. Blackman's departure was announced in an internal letter released by 2K representatives. The letter to the staff stated that Blackman had decided to leave the studio to "pursue his passion at a new endeavor".
Blackman is leaving Hangar 13 after almost ten years. During that time, Blackman's team oversaw the production of Mafia III as well as led the creative and production development of Mafia: The Definitive Edition and the Mafia Trilogy. Prior to Hangar 13, Blackman spent 13 years at LucasArts where he served as a lead producer, creative director/senior executive producer, and later studio head and franchise director.
Nick Baynes, who is currently the head of Hangar 13's studio in Brighton, will take over as studio head replacing Haden Blackman.
Blackman left Hangar 13 six months after the closure of the studio's next project under the working title Volt was reported. According to Bloomberg, the game was in development for a long time, and its cancellation cost the studio's parent company 2K $53 million.
Recently, it was also reported that the next installment in the Mafia series is currently in the works. The game under the code name Nero will likely be a prequel to the Mafia story and its development is now at a very early stage. The upcoming Mafia prequel is reportedly being developed using Epic Games' recently released Unreal Engine 5 instead of the Mafia 3 engine that was used for the Mafia Trilogy remasters back in 2020.
Don't forget to join our new Reddit page, our new Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are sharing breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.
This project includes assets, maps, materials, Blueprints, and effects created in the Unreal Engine. Each asset was created for realistic AAA quality visuals, style, and budget.