Company:Hangar 13

From HandWiki
Hangar 13
TypeDivision
IndustryVideo games
FoundedDecember 4, 2014; 11 years ago (2014-12-04)
FounderHaden Blackman
Headquarters
Novato, California
,
US
Number of locations
4 studios (2018)
Key people
Nick Baynes (studio head)
Products
  • Mafia series (2016–present)
  • TopSpin 2K25 (2024)
Parent2K
Websitehangar13games.com

Hangar 13 is an American video game developer based in Novato, California, in the area of the former Hamilton Air Force Base. Established with Haden Blackman in December 2014 as a division of 2K (a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive), the company's debut game, Mafia III, was released in October 2016. In 2017, the studio absorbed 2K Czech, giving it satellite studios in Brno and Prague, followed by a fourth studio in Brighton in 2018. Hangar 13 has since developed Software:Mafia: Definitive Edition, TopSpin 2K25, and Software:Mafia: The Old Country.

History

Hangar 13 was formed around September 2013, when 2K Games announced that Rod Fergusson would be running a new San Francisco studio.[1] However, Fergusson left the position by January 2014, which he claimed was due to "creative differences" with management.[2]

On December 4, 2014, 2K announced that it had set up a new game studio, Hangar 13, led by Haden Blackman, formerly creative director for LucasArts.[3] Blackman told GamesBeat that the studio would work on a game for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.[4] Mafia III, the studio's debut title, was announced in August 2015.[5] 2K Czech, the developer of previous entries in the Mafia series, had a supporting role in the game's development.[6] Mafia III was released on October 7, 2016, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.[7] In 2017, 2K Czech was merged into Hangar 13.[8]

In February 2018, 2K announced that Hangar 13 had been hit with sizable layoffs, without disclosing exact numbers.[9] At the time, Hangar 13 was brainstorming ideas for its next game—one idea included a "fight to music" system through which the player's movement would create songs, similar to Harmonix's cancelled game Chroma.[10] In May 2018, Hangar 13 opened an additional studio in Brighton, UK, headed by Nick Baynes.[11][12] In July 2018, the studio announced that it was working on a new intellectual property.[13]

In March 2019, it was announced that the studio had collaborated with Gearbox Software to develop a free update for Software:Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, which added 4K graphics to the remastered versions of Borderlands 2 and Software:Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.[14]

In May 2020, 2K and Hangar 13 announced the Mafia: Trilogy. This contained a remake of the first Mafia, a remaster of Mafia II (developed by d3t) and a platinum version of Mafia III comprised with its additional story packs. These editions were available as a bundle or individually. Both the original Mafia II and Mafia III owners on Steam and console had their editions upgraded at no cost.[15]

In November 2021, it was confirmed that Volt, an unannounced game by Hangar 13, was cancelled by Take-Two Interactive after running up a loss of $53 million in production costs.[16][17] In May 2022, Blackman announced his impending departure from the company, succeeded by Hangar 13 Brighton studio head Nick Baynes.[18][19] Later that month, after Baynes had taken over, Hangar 13 laid off people across its four studios, of which the Novato headquarters dismissed 50 of its 87 employees.[20] It was reported that Hangar 13 was in the early stages of development for a prequel to the Mafia: Trilogy as well as a new entry to the Top Spin series; Hangar 13 was also awaiting a greenlight from its parent company to begin development on a fifth entry to the Mafia series alongside its prequel, as Baynes describes, to keep its developers employed at the studio for a smooth transition from one game to another.[21] In August 2022, development on a new Mafia game was confirmed to have started.[22]

Games developed

Year Title Platform(s)
2016 Mafia III PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, Stadia
2020 Software:Mafia: Definitive Edition PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
2024 TopSpin 2K25 PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
2025 Software:Mafia: The Old Country PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S

References

  1. ↑ Ligman, Kris (September 26, 2013). "Epic, Irrational alumnus to helm 2K's newest studio". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/epic-irrational-alumnus-to-helm-2k-s-newest-studio. 
  2. ↑ Watts, Steve (January 21, 2020). "Gears Of War Boss Says He Left Mafia 3 Over "Creative Differences"". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gears-of-war-boss-says-he-left-mafia-3-over-creati/1100-6472908/. 
  3. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (December 4, 2014). "2K Games forms new studio led by ex-LucasArts creative director Haden Blackman". https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/4/7331207/2k-games-hangar-13-new-studio-haden-blackman. 
  4. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (December 4, 2014). "2K launches brand new console game studio Hangar 13". https://venturebeat.com/2014/12/04/2k-launches-brand-new-next-generation-console-game-studio-hangar-13/. 
  5. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (August 5, 2015). "Mafia 3: here's the reveal trailer as promised". https://www.vg247.com/2015/08/05/mafia-3-reveal-trailer-gamescom-2015/. 
  6. ↑ Hanson, Ben (October 14, 2015). "Who The Hell Is Mafia III Developer Hangar 13?". Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/10/14/who-the-hell-is-mafia-iiis-hangar-13.aspx. Retrieved September 26, 2019. 
  7. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (April 19, 2016). "Mafia 3 Release Date Announced, New Trailer and Deluxe Versions Revealed". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mafia-3-release-date-announced-new-trailer-and-del/1100-6438967/. 
  8. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (January 4, 2018). "Have you seen these studios?". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-01-04-have-you-seen-these-studios. 
  9. ↑ Bailey, Dustin (February 15, 2018). "Mafia 3 developers Hangar 13 hit with layoffs". https://www.pcgamesn.com/mafia-3/mafia-3-hangar-13-layoffs. 
  10. ↑ Schreier, Jason (February 15, 2018). "Big Layoffs Hit Mafia III Developer Hangar 13". https://kotaku.com/big-layoffs-hit-mafia-iii-developer-hangar-13-1823047167. 
  11. ↑ Dring, Christopher (May 16, 2018). "Mafia III developer Hangar 13 opens UK studio for AAA console game". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-05-15-mafia-iii-developer-hangar-13-opens-uk-studio-for-aaa-console-game. 
  12. ↑ MCV Staff (May 15, 2018). "Split/Second game director heading up Mafia III dev's new Brighton office". https://www.mcvuk.com/split-second-game-director-heading-up-mafia-iii-devs-new-brighton-office/. 
  13. ↑ Green, Brandon (July 19, 2018). "Mafia III Developer Hangar 13 Confirm They are Working on a new IP". https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/408543-mafia-iii-developer-hangar-13-confirm-they-are-working-on-a-new-ip. 
  14. ↑ @Borderlands (March 29, 2019). "Sending the hugest of shout-outs and thanks to the devs at @Blind_Squirrel_ for their work on Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition and to @Hangar13Games for their work on The Handsome Collection Ultra HD Pack! You rock!". https://twitter.com/Borderlands/status/1111422775854424065. 
  15. ↑ Juba, Joe. "Everything You Need To Know About The Mafia Trilogy Definitive Editions" (in en). Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/2020/05/19/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-mafia-trilogy-definitive-editions. Retrieved March 14, 2021. 
  16. ↑ Schreier, Jason (November 3, 2021). "Take-Two's 2K Cancels $53 Million Game From Hangar 13". https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-03/take-two-s-2k-cancels-53-million-game-from-developer-hangar-13?sref=P6Q0mxvj. 
  17. ↑ "Take-Two Cancels Unannounced $53 Million Dollar Game By Hangar 13" (in en-us). November 3, 2021. https://kotaku.com/take-two-cancels-unannounced-53-million-dollar-game-by-1847992907. 
  18. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (May 4, 2022). "Haden Blackman steps down as head of 2K's Hangar 13". https://venturebeat.com/2022/05/04/haden-blackman-steps-down-as-head-of-2ks-hangar-13/. 
  19. ↑ "Hangar 13 Bosses Leave, New Mafia In Development" (in en). May 5, 2022. https://kotaku.com/mafia-4-release-date-hangar-13-haden-blackman-lucasarts-1848883555. 
  20. ↑ Batchelor, James (May 26, 2022). "Mafia 3 developer Hangar 13 suffers another round of layoffs". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-05-26-mafia-3-developer-hangar-13-suffers-another-round-of-layoffs. 
  21. ↑ Onder, Cade (May 26, 2022). "Mafia 5 Reportedly Being Planned by Hanger 13 Amidst Mafia 4 Development". https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/mafia-5-planned-hanger-13-during-mafia-4-game-development/. 
  22. ↑ Bailey, Kat (August 29, 2022). "'All-New Mafia Game' Confirmed to be in Development" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/all-new-mafia-game-confirmed-to-be-in-development. 

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