A new job listing for developer Hangar 13 hints that Mafia 5 could be in early production. The description of the job post on LinkedIn hints to a prior report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier that the developer hopes to greenlight a sequel to Mafia 4 while it is being made.
Early Mafia 5 production would be to avoid mistakes Hangar 13 made in the past
Hangar 13 is currently looking to fill the position of an Executive Producer at its Brighton, England studio. The producer would be responsible for “a key franchise” and “play a vital part in the successful delivery of a major new title, including post-launch content and future franchise planning.”
The game is still unannounced, so it’s possible that it doesn’t have anything to do with the Mafia franchise. That said, Schreier reported in May 2022 that Nick Baynes, the president of Hangar 13, was “aiming to green-light a sequel to Nero while it is development,” with (Project) Nero being the codename for the next Mafia game. This is so that its team can remain intact once Mafia 4 is finished, instead of being awkwardly displaced when the game is done — a mistake that Hangar 13 had made in the past.
From what we know so far about Mafia 4 (or whatever the next Mafia game will be called), it is reportedly a prequel set in Sicily in the late 19th to early 20th century and will follow the Don Salieri Family. As reported last year, the release date is still “a few years away,” meaning we could see it arrive in 2024 or 2025.
