New Mafia 4 info potentially revealed in job listing

A recent job listing may have revealed new information about Mafia 4, including the game's current stage of development and the engine Hangar 13 has chosen to use for the gangster adventure.

The details:

• According to a job posting for a Tools Engineer at 2K's Hangar 13 studio, an "unannounced multi-platform game" is currently in pre-production and will be built using Epic's Unreal Engine 5. While the listing does not explicitly state that it is for Mafia 4, the developer only has two publicly known projects in the works, one of which is reportedly a tennis game. Given the criticism leveled at Mafia III for using the outdated Illusion Engine, which was essentially an upgrade on Mafia 2's engine and resulted in numerous technical issues, a switch to Unreal Engine appears likely for the next major installment in the franchise.
• Mafia 4 was confirmed in 2022, around the same time that former studio head Haden Blackman and chief operating officer Matthew Urban left the studio as it began to pivot away from assisting other Take-Two studios and toward developing its own games. It's unclear when we'll learn more about the project, as pre-production typically means that even the game's basic systems and narrative have yet to be decided upon, but given the scale of previous entries, it's likely to be at least a few years away. Since the announcement, some rumors have circulated that the plot will revolve around the Salleri family from the first Mafia game.
• Hangar 13 president Nick Baynes has also expressed interest in beginning the development of a sequel to Mafia 4 before the game's release, in order to "avoid repeating the same mistakes" that resulted in employees being "displaced" within the studio once development of previous projects concluded. It's safe to say that this successor is currently nothing more than an idea, as Mafia 4 is still in pre-production and the project may not even be greenlit in the first place.

More news about upcoming games:

• Amazon is working on a new AAA live-service title according to a recent job listing. Amazon Games' San Diego studio is currently working on the project, which is rumored to be a multi-platform title. Amazon Games San Diego has not had the best track record when it comes to developing new games, with the studio still yet to release its own title after a number of cancellations over the last six years, so fans are hoping this next game will see the light of day,
• The Coalition is working on a new Gears of War game. In January 2023, the studio experienced a number of layoffs, resulting in the cancellation of several projects. It was reported that all attention was now being focused on a mainline Gears of War game, and the job description's mention of "AAA game experience" seems to indicate that the listing could be for Gears 6.
• Rocksteady Studios’ Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League has reportedly been delayed yet again, this time moving the game’s release window to Q4 2023. The game's official gameplay reveal in February was met with criticism due to the inclusion of a battle pass and an always-online requirement, though the delay appears to have nothing to do with the criticism.