In a recent earnings call, Take-Two Interactive revealed that it recently canceled a game that cost the company over $53 million dollars to develop. Mafia 3 studio Hangar 13 was reportedly developing the game under the codename “Volt.” Parent company 2K Games made the decision to cancel the project due to various technical difficulties involved in its development, as well as the effects of the ongoing pandemic.
The unannounced title was reportedly in development since 2017 and involved superheroes and online gameplay. Sources speaking to Kotaku described the game as an arcadey, three-player coop game that featured classic RPG roles like Tanks, Healers, and DPS. The game’s codename was also short for Voltron, though it’s unclear whether the title was connected to the animated series of the same name. Interestingly, Volt was Hangar 13’s rebound project after its other canned IP, Rhapsody.
As the $53 million sunk cost suggests, the project was a pretty significant one for Hangar 13. The project’s cancellation will affect 200 employees, many of whom are worried about their future employment—not surprising, considering the studio went through layoffs just a few years ago. And while Mafia 3 was the fastest-selling 2K game at release, the game also suffered from lukewarm reception and currently sits at a 68 on Metacritic.
Hangar 13 studio head Haden Blackman revealed in an email to staff that 2K Games had decided to cancel the project after determining the game would not be commercially viable. Blackman noted, however, that employees at Hangar 13 would continue to work on other projects in the future. Blackman stated:
We are confident that there are many opportunities for H13 employees to work on other games in development, both at H13 and across the label … 2K has also assured me that the company believes H13 can deliver a critical and commercial success, and we will begin developing future projects soon.
This statement seems to indicate that Hangar 13 is incubating some other projects, and that despite the cancellation of “Volt,” employees will still have options.
2K also provided a statement on the cancellation to Kotaku, which further addresses the job security of the team at Hangar 13:
Hangar 13’s latest project was creatively ambitious and exciting. When we pursue new intellectual properties, we occasionally may encounter situations that call for cancellation. We encourage our teams to pursue their passions and take creative risks, balanced against prudent commercial and financial decisions and our unwavering commitment to delivering the best entertainment experiences. We have full confidence in Hangar 13’s leadership and development team and believe that they can and will deliver critical and commercial successes in the future. Hangar 13’s leadership is working closely with 2K to ensure that Hangar 13 team members continue to do meaningful work, either as part of Hangar 13 or on one of our other development teams.
At this point, it’s unknown when we’ll see another title from Hangar 13, but don’t expect it for a while yet.
[Source: Kotaku]
