Mafia: The Old Country is nothing like GTA 6 say devs ahead of 2025 launch-Michael Beckwith-Entertainment – Metro

‘We don’t talk about GTA in these parts’ (2K)

The first brand new Mafia game in nearly 20 years is set to launch not long before GTA 6, but developer Hangar 13 doesn’t seem particularly worried.

Aside from Borderlands 4, the other 2K published game expected to show up at The Game Awards 2024 was Mafia: The Old Country, the newest entry in the Mafia series that was teased at Gamescom in August.

Some of the anticipation was diluted somewhat when a short trailer leaked yesterday, which also gave away the game’s release window, even if it didn’t really offer any info on what Mafia: The Old Country is about.

While the full version of the trailer isn’t much longer, clocking in at less than two minutes – most of which is cut scenes – the developers at Hangar 13 have provided further details about its story and what fans can expect from the gameplay.

Set in Sicily during the early 1900s (something that was accurately rumoured in 2022), Mafia: The Old Country sees you play as Enzo, a new initiate in the Torrisi crime family, who will no doubt go on to rise through the ranks as he makes a name for himself in organised crime.

The game doubles as a prequel to the rest of the series and as an origin story for how the actual mafia came to be, with game director Alex Cox and Hangar 13 president Nick Baynes explaining in an IGN interview that going back to an earlier time period was a lot more freeing and convenient for telling a new story.

Baynes adds that it also makes Mafia: The Old Country a good jumping on point for new players, although he thinks returning fans will find plenty to love: ‘It is the beginning of things that lead into the original trilogy, but it also sets up a whole new story, whole new stories in the Mafia universe. So I think for people who have loved Mafia games in the past, this is a really satisfying game for them, taking them to an area that they’ve never been to before.’

Surprisingly, Hangar 13 has opted to not make Mafia: The Old Country another open world adventure, like it did with Mafia 3, describing it as a ‘linear, narrative driven’ experience, more akin to the first two Mafia games.

This decision may be for the best. Mafia 3 was easily the weakest entry of the bunch, even if it did have the best script. Hopefully, the same writing team has been brought back for Mafia: The Old Country.

One thing Cox and Baynes are eager to stress, is that their game is nothing like GTA 6. The Mafia games have always been a clear attempt to ape GTA’s success and with both series set to receive new entries in the same year, comparisons are naturally going to run rampant.

‘When GTA 3 and Mafia came out, they were mechanically very similar games,’ argues Cox. ‘But Mafia’s always had a bit more focus on its linear narrative versus the sandbox experiences, which Rockstar does industry super best quality [sic].’

Baynes, meanwhile, isn’t trying to think too hard about how the new Mafia will stand up to GTA 6, saying, ‘We just make the best game we can. We’re making it for Mafia fans, it’s the story we want to tell in the Mafia universe.’

‘Honestly, outside of, I don’t know, the chat down the pub about how we feel about the market generally or what’s coming out next, it’s not something that we ever talk about. We just want to make the best Mafia game possible,’ he adds.

When will Mafia: The Old Country be released?

Mafia: The Old Country is currently slated for the summer of 2025, meaning it’s thankfully avoiding GTA 6’s autumn release window.

Both Hangar 13 and GTA 6 developer Rockstar are owned by Take-Two Interactive, so the company is wisely ensuring the two don’t launch too close to one another.

Hopefully we’ll get more gameplay footage soon (2K)

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