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Haden Blackman is stepping down from his role of studio head at Mafia: Definitive Edition developer Hangar 13.
As first reported by Gamespot, a memo shared internally by parent publisher 2K broke the news to staff. “Haden Blackman is stepping down as studio head of Hangar 13, and is leaving the company to pursue his passion at a new endeavour. We are grateful for Haden’s leadership in establishing Hangar 13, building and uniting teams in Novato, Brighton and Czech, and releasing multiple studio-defining Mafia games and collections.”
“What Haden helped build will continue to carry forward and grow for years to come,” the statement continued. “We support all of our employees pursuing their passions, and we wish nothing but the best for him in what’s next. Nick Baynes, studio head of Hangar 13 Brighton will take over as studio head of Hangar 13.”
Blackman helped establish Hangar 13 back in 2014 following his departure from LucasArts in 2010. At the latter, Blackman was the lead writer on the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed series. During his time leading Hangar 13, Blackman wrote and directed both 2016’s Mafia 3 and Mafia: Definitive Edition in 2020.
The memo closed by revealing the studio has “multiple projects currently under way”. However, it’s not known what these projects following Blackman’s departure are just yet. Back in November, it transpired the studio had had an unannounced $53 million dollar game project cancelled by 2K.
