A recent job listing for Hangar 13 seems to offer an update on Mafia 4, which may currently sit in the pre-production phase of development.
In 2022, after years of uncertainty about the franchise’s future, developer Hangar 13 confirmed it would begin work on a new Mafia game codenamed Nero.
Such news came on the heels of leadership shakeups, layoffs, and the cancellation of another major project. Now, the Novato, California-based studio has two games in production.
And according to a new job advertisement, it seems at least one of them recently entered pre-production.
Job ad features possible development update on Mafia 4
A LinkedIn posting shows that Hangar 13 is currently looking to hire a Tools Engineer, specifically someone who can “create and maintain tools for an unannounced multi-platform game currently in pre-production using Unreal Engine 5.”
Should this posting bear any relation to the fourth Mafia entry, the game won’t hit store shelves for at least a few more years.
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Typically, pre-production is the junction at which developers begin fleshing out the game’s world, characters, and game systems. As such, no one can say for sure when the mystery project will actually see the light of day.
It’s worth noting that the LinkedIn posting mentioned above makes no reference to Mafia 4 or its development status.
But it’s also worth noting that studio head Nick Baynes stated in a 2022 earnings call that he hopes to green-light a sequel to the Nero project while it’s still in development.
Either way, the future of the long-running Mafia brand could very well prove bright in the long run.