Haden Blackman, studio head and founder of Mafia 3 developer Hanger 13, is stepping down from the company and 2K after seven years.
Blackman will be succeeded by Nick Baynes, who has 30 years of industry leadership experience and joined Hanger 13 in 2018 to found Hanger 13 Brighton. He was responsible for launching Mafia: Definitive Edition and Mafia Trilogy.
Blackman spent his early game development years at LucasArts and was a producer on Star Wars: Galaxies, project lead on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and more. He has also written several Star Wars comics, including Jango Fett: Open Seasons, Star Wars: Starfighter, and Darth Vader & The Ghost Prison.
While Blackman’s next move was not revealed, 2K did say he would be leaving the company to “pursue his passion for a new career.”
2K shared with IGN an internal announcement of Blackman’s departure, which shared 2K’s response to “Haden is building Hangar 13, building and joining teams in Novato, Brighton and the Czech Republic, and releasing multiple studio-defined Mafia games and collections.” leadership”.
“Hello team, it is with mixed feelings that I share with you several leadership updates for Hangar 13,” 2K’s internal announcement reads. “Haden Blackman is stepping down as head of studio at Hangar 13 and leaving the company to pursue his passion for a new venture.
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