Following the launch of Mafia III in 2016, developer Hangar 13 was reportedly given two options by the higher-ups at 2K Games–produce Mafia IV or create a new IP. Studio Head Haden Blackman chose the latter. Thus, early production began on a new IP called Rhapsody, which would center on an espionage tale in 1980s Berlin. Such a project never came to fruition, though, according to a 2018 report from Kotaku. But there is one way to get a small glimpse at what could’ve been. Hidden away in Mafia III: Definitive Edition is a map of the Berlin setting.
YouTuber Sliderv2 poured through a number of unused assets in the title’s recently released Definitive Edition. The Berlin map arguably counts as the most fascinating find. Still, it’s pretty bare bones. While the player can walk across the map and peek at the white box design, there exists nothing with which to interact. For instance, buildings and such are strewn about, but none feature any intricate details of note.
Check out Sliderv2’s findings in the video linked below:
The canned Rhapsody would have seen players assume the role of a Russian Jew whose parents were killed in a Soviet labor camp. Being rescued by Americans would later lead to his joining Rhapsody, a spy organization. Hangar 13 wanted the game to consist of world-saving missions, as well as tasks that aid the spy in avenging his parents. This may have created an interesting dichotomy, whereby he’s “trying to decide between the personal good and the public good,” one developer told Kotaku.
Evidently, the public won’t see what could have been with regards to this particular venture. Hangar 13 remains hard at work on something else, however. According to Take-Two Interactive President Karl Slatoff, the studio’s next big project will be officially unveiled sometime this year.
[Source: Sliderv2 on YouTube via VG247]
