Mafia 4 hasn’t even hit the shelves yet, but work has already started on the sequel? It’s like Take-Two is drinking into the bear’s skin…

A job ad for Hangar 13 has popped up on LinkedIn. Let’s see what the studio wants: “We are looking for a highly top-tier Executive Producer to own the development of a key franchise at Hangar 13. This role will be vital in delivering a major new title, including post-launch content and future franchise planning. You’ll collaborate with project leads, management, and our external partners daily, ensuring this project progresses to completion. This position reports to the President of Hangar 13.” What has Hangar 13 been working on so far? Mafia III and the next part are in the works, but it’s likely at an advanced stage, so there’s no way they’re looking for an executive producer for that now.

But let’s see what the successful candidate will do: “Lead the development of Hangar 13’s unannounced game – run internal and external teams across multiple locations to meet production schedules and deliver the project to quality, time, and budget expectations. Help define, specify, and drive the development of the game’s monetization strategies and meta-game features. Work closely with Producers to develop product budgets and schedules across the team. Partner with the Heads of Development to ensure that H13 core development processes are consistently followed. Mentor producers at all levels of the group, taking a keen curiosity about their growth and career development

Ensure that coherent goals are set for the team from achievement to achievement and that they are understood and performed upon. Coordinate and assist with marketing, sales, focus testing, outsourcing, and other external parties as required. Act as the liaison with other departments within and outside 2K to ensure relevant parties are informed of plans, features, and timelines and to improve cross-functional processes. Cultivate and maintain a globally distributed team spirit across locations. Lead by example to ensure a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive team. Be part of a positive, solution-focused environment, actively identifying and prioritizing issues as they arise.”

And the expectations: “8+ years of experience in the video game industry producing and developing console games from conception to release. 4+ years of experience as a Lead-level Producer or higher, and have shipped AAA games. Experienced knowledge of industry-standard project management methodologies (waterfall, agile, etc.) and the value and place of each. Experience leading an internal, multidisciplinary development team or an area of development that interacts with multiple fields. Experience with steering vague ideas into useful items. Experience identifying and navigating through project risk, whether game-related or business (operations/publishing/legal/etc.). Significant knowledge of game development pipelines. Strong analytical, technical, and project management skills. Possess excellent interpersonal skills, combining leadership and diplomacy — teamwork-oriented with a positive demeanor and outlook. Passion and love for video games!”

It might not have anything to do with Mafia, but this job should be filled from the start of the project. In May, Jason Schreier wrote that Hangar 13 president Nick Baynes was “aiming to green-light a sequel to Nero while it is development.” Nero is the code name for Mafia 4 (or whatever it’s called…). The goal would be to keep the team together for the release of Mafia 4 so they can get right to work on the next installment. Mafia 4 is supposed to be set in Sicily at the end of the 19th century, possibly the 20th century, and will deal with the family of Don Salieri.

The game is supposed to be released around 2024-2025. But it’s not official yet…

Source: PSL