Mafia: The Old Country Promises Fans Gritty Gangsta Adventure
Mafia: The Old Country edges closer to release, promising a sun-soaked yet perilous journey to 19th-century Sicily. Over the years, players have long been immersed in the iconic historical eras, creating the beautiful settings of the well-known Mafia series. From Prohibition-era America to post-WWII turmoil, its latest entry ventures into uncharted territory. Separating itself from the earlier games, how will the franchise tackle the origins of organized crime, centuries before its previous settings?
Mafia Returns to the 20th Century
This time, the narrative in The Old Country traces the rise of the Cosa Nostra, plunging players into Sicily’s volatile landscape at the turn of the century. The game’s rugged coastlines and shadowy villages provide the perfect setting for a story of loyalty, betrayal, and the bloody birth of a criminal empire. Moreover, the gameplay mechanics seem to have been tailored to the era’s slower, grittier pace, given the inclusion of horse-drawn carriages and period-accurate weaponry.
Developers blended meticulous environmental detail with the tension of survival in a lawless world of The Old Country. This approach allows the team to balance the franchise’s signature storytelling with fresh historical depth. Additionally, horses will play a central role, offering both transport and chaos in equal measure. Offering players chances to gallop through olive groves and navigate back-alley ambushes helps the latest installment redefine its scope while staying true to its roots.
Mafia: The Old Country Price Drops
The Old Country will officially be released on August 8, 2025, on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5, with pre-orders currently available. Although the standard edition retails at $50/£45, the Deluxe Edition climbs to $60/£55 — a sharp departure from the $70-$80 standard for major AAA titles. Furthermore, publisher 2K attributes the decision for this pricing strategy to the game’s intentionally streamlined design. Mainly, the developers focused more on tighter storytelling over sprawling content or live-service mechanics to create a more intriguing experience.
David Ismailer, president of 2K, stated that the players will be happy about this reduced scope as it offers a way to seek meaningful experiences without excessive time commitments. Specifically, this approach counters the industry’s trend toward marathon gameplay. What’s more, audiences may enjoy the developing team’s focus on brevity due to being fatigued by endless open-world tasks or RPG grinds, positioning The Old Country as a concise narrative-driven alternative.
For players anticipating a Day One release on Xbox Game Pass, its lack of announcements on subscription service inclusion may be disappointing. Without these passes, it seems that The Old Country will debut solely through traditional purchases. Despite the lower price point potentially attracting budget-minded players, skeptics may question whether the shorter runtime sacrifices depth. Ultimately, this latest installment hinges its success on balancing both its ambitious scope and player expectations. Moreover, the developers taking this gamble may help redefine value in an era of rising game costs.
Mafia: The Old Country Teaser Trailer
Gamescom 2024 was where Mafia: The Old Country first surfaced with a cryptic teaser of early 20th-century Sicily. This approach effectively blends haunting religious imagery with stark shots of shotgun shells to evoke a tense, atmospheric vision. The action-packed trailer set a dramatic tone, leaving fans guessing about specifics regarding its plot, characters, and gameplay mechanics, which remained shrouded in mystery. However, the prequel did reveal some information on the origins of the Cosa Nostra.
The December 2024 Initiation trailer provided clarity months later, introducing protagonist Enzo Favara, a young Sicilian laborer thrust into the brutal world of organized crime. Mirroring The Godfather Part II‘s exploration of mob origins, the narrative of The Old Country traces Enzo’s rise from a carusu, an orphan forced to work in sulfur mines, to a rising figure within the Torrisi crime family set in the 1900s. His quest comes at a steep price as he seeks freedom, weaving personal sacrifice with the violent realities of mafia ascent.
