Haden Blackman, project lead on Star Wars Galaxies and The Force Unleashed, is leading a new studio within 2K to work on an unannounced new-gen project.

The studio, called Hangar 13, is currently expanding with the intention of entering the AAA game development space. Though its game is a mystery, it sounds like it will be an experience with a very malleable, player-driven story.

In a press release announcing the new studio Blackman wrote, “At Hangar 13, our mantra is ‘Every player story is unique. Our ambition is to create next-generation games that allow players to shape their own experiences, from the moment-to-moment gameplay, to the long-term impact on the world, characters and narrative. To realize this goal, we’re building proprietary technology and assembling a core team passionate about delivering mature experiences loaded with meaningful choices.”

Before establishing Hangar 13, Blackman was franchise director for Star Wars video games with LucasArts. For more on the fall of LucasArts, head here.

Our Take

As the franchise director for Star Wars video games with LucasArts, Blackman was deeply embedded in George Lucas' universe for some time. He had his lows (Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II), but he was also involved in some impressive peaks (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic). I'm interested to see what Hangar 13 and Blackman can do outside of Star Wars.