Mafia III

2K Czech undergoing restructuring, no update on Mafia III



Following rumours and speculation, 2K has confirmed restructuring at Mafia and Top Spin developer 2K Czech.

“We have relocated and consolidated our 2K Czech team from our Prague facility to centralise resources in our location in Brno. Additionally, we are transferring some development resources from Prague and Brno to 2K headquarters in Novato, CA,” the publisher said in a statement published by Eurogamer.

“This transition will both strengthen the integration of the 2K Czech team with our award winning development teams, and better align cross-functional business practices. As part of this realignment, we are adjusting our staffing levels, resulting in the elimination of some positions.”

The statement isn’t quite as detailed as we’d like, because it makes no mention of what 2K Czech was or is working on, or how it will be affected. Over the last couple of years we’ve heard rumours that the studio was jobbing for Rockstar on Grand Theft Auto 5 and working on Mafia III, but a third entry in the gorgeous but somewhat insubstantial open-world series has never been officially confirmed.

Assuming it really does exist, it seems like Mafia III was being developed at the Prague office, and missed a late 2013 release window due to lay-offs. With the Prague office closing and key members moving to the US, speculation is rife that the Mafia series will be developed by 2K’s American teams – maybe even the one headed by former Gears of War producer Rod Fergusson.