Hanger 13, the developer behind Mafia III, is opening a studio in the UK, based down in Brighton.
Publisher 2K has announced that Nick Baynes is going to head t up the Brighton-based studio. Baynes was the game director for Split/Second, and he has worked in game development for over twenty-five years.
This is the fourth location that Hangar 13 has an office, with separate branches in Novato, Brno, Brighton, and Prague.
This news comes after an announcement, earlier this year, that Hangar 13 saw fairly substantial layoffs – sad news considering the mainly positive reception Mafia III received. The game also sold 4.5 million copies, so it was no commercial slouch either.
2K has announced that the new studio is working on an unannounced AAA game, and that the studio will scale in size along with the new project.
Baynes will be reunited with Andy Wilson, who he worked with at Black Rock Studio and who is now the vice president of development at Hangar 13.
There is no word yet on what shape this new AAA project will take.
