According to information from KotakuHangar 13 would therefore be preparing to part with at least fifty people, in its Californian studio in Novato, which had eighty-seven employees until then (and more than a hundred at the time of the release of Mafia III). It is not yet known to what extent the Brighton and Brno (formerly 2K Czech) teams are affected, but 2K Games confirmed the facts in a press release.
“2K remains fully committed to the future of Hangar 13 as the studio faces a difficult but promising transition period. As part of our current assessments, aimed at aligning resources and objectives, we have made certain changes which have resulted in the reduction of posts and the departure of certain colleagues. These decisions are always difficult. We are doing our best to work with affected employees to find them new responsibilities on other 2K projects. And we fully support those who cannot be redeployed, connecting them with professional networks to find new opportunities outside of 2K.“, could we read in response to the solicitations of Kotaku.
It was up to Nick Baynes, the new boss of Hangar 13, to announce the news to the Californian teams, remotely. The successive cancellations of various original projects (including the last, codenamed Voltwas quietly scrapped last November according to Kotaku, despite a $50 million investment from Take-Two) would have left some employees idle, including supporting other productions: **Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Kerbal Space Program 2 Where Marvel’s Midnight Sun.
According to Nick Baynes’ recording that Kotaku was able to obtain, Hangar 13 would now focus on two developments: that of the prequel to Mafiaand the one, which had already been the subject of slight rumors until then, of a revival of top-spin – whose last excellent episode dates back to 2011.
Remember that Take-Two, parent company of 2K Games, generated more than three billion euros in sales over the fiscal year that has just ended, and collected nearly 450 million euros in profit.