Summary
- Mafia: The Old Country will be a lot closer to Mafia and Mafia 2 in scope and less like Mafia 3.
- In other words, expect a linear story set within an open world, but without a massive list of checkbox activities for players to complete.
- Information about The Old Country’s stylings comes by way of a new interview with IGN, where the developers were quick to affirm their plans.
When Mafia: The Old Country launches in Summer 2025, as revealed during its second trailer during Thursday night’s The Game Awards presentation, don’t expect an open world romp similar to Mafia 3.
No.
Instead, it appears that the game will be more in line with the original Mafia and the fan-favorite Mafia 2 in terms of its more linear-style open world, than a Grand Theft Auto clone. Information about The Old Country’s approach come by way of an interview with IGN, where game director Alex Cox and Hangar 13 president Nick Baynes affirmed the game’s approach.
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Being Like Mafia 2 Isn’t A Bad Thing
As part of the interview, Cox and Baynes revealed that The Old Country will not be like Mafia 3. Per that conversation, they called The Old Country a “linear, narrative-driven” game that is a “focused package” that offers a “cinematic experience.”
In other words, players likely won’t be driving around old Sicily in search of junction boxes or completing checklist tasks like in Mafia 3. But you’ll still be able to drive around, just as you did in the first Mafia and Mafia 2, or even ride a horse, seeing as the game is set in the early 1900s.
All of this is an effort to help gamers see the story through without being bogged down by list-type activities.
“The way I describe it is you’re not going to be playing Mafia: The Old Country and going off and doing endless side quests and doing activities in the world,” Baynes explained. “We want players to go through and experience a story, but set in this beautiful world. And if you are going along a path, and you want to go over here and explore, in many cases you can do that because the world exists around you.”
But we’re encouraging you to go through the story.
Considering that the “bloat” of Mafia 3 was one of its more divisive elements, particularly coming off the tight narrative that was Mafia 2, it seems like Hangar 13 is taking fan opinions to heart. The end result should be another worthy entry in the Mafia franchise, though ultimately time will tell. What is true, though, is that 2025 is shaping up to be a rather stacked year for gaming.
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