Mafia 3was met with mixed reviews when it launched in 2016, but the game has proven to be a major hit for 2K Games,shipping 4.5 million unitsin its first week on sale alone. Judging by these sales numbers and the praise given to its story and characters, it’s clear that studio Hangar 13 has potential to create something special with its next project. As it so happens, the studio has hired some big name talent this past year to achieve just that, includingHorizon: Zero Dawnlead quest designer David Ford.
Ford is joining theMafia 3developer as a design director, but he won’t be the only former Guerrilla Games member of the staff. Earlier this year, Guerrilla Games senior producer Mark Norris also jumped ship to Hangar 13, along with devs that have worked on projects likeDeus Ex: Human Revolutionand theCall of Dutyfranchise.
Now the question is, what game is Hangar 13 working on? Considering the sales success ofMafia 3, one has to imagine that the studio is hard at work onMafia 4. Then again, it could be working on a brand new open world IP instead.
Regardless, Hangar 13’s recent talent acquisitions are impressive and should go a long way in ensuring its next game fixesMafia 3’s problems. WhileMafia 3’s story and characters were praised in many reviews, criticism was aimed at its boring open world and bevy of glitches. By bringing proven designers like Ford and Norris aboard, it could putMafia 4or whatever the studio’s next game is on track to fix those issues and deliver a more polished experience.
WithMafia 3’s third andfinal piece of story DLCreleasing this past summer, Hangar 13 can now focus all of its efforts on its next game. It may be years before we actually learn anything about the project, but with developers that worked on critically-acclaimed open world games likeHorizon: Zero Dawnjoining the team, it’s hard to blame fans for already getting excited.
Mafia 3is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
