Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick is teasing a vibrant future for the Mafia franchise after this 12 months’s prequel, Mafia: The Old Country, “carried out properly forward of expectations.”
Zelnick spoke concerning the future of 2K Video games’ long-running open-world crime sequence throughout an interview with IGN forward of Take-Two’s Q2 monetary report (the one with the most recent GTA 6 delay). As developer Hangar 13 prepares to launch new content material and updates following The Old Country’s launch in August, the Take-Two boss teased that followers might finally have extra Mafia to look ahead to.
“Positively,” Zelnick stated when requested if The Old Country carried out properly sufficient to instill confidence to proceed the franchise. “We’re actually enthusiastic about Mafia, and I believe that’s an amazing query as a result of it’s type of a reset for the franchise. We don’t have something to announce — that comes from the label — nevertheless it undoubtedly carried out properly forward of expectations.”
It appears like the choice to promote Mafia: The Old Country at a less expensive than anticipated $49.99 worth level paid off, then. Followers praised The Old Country’s $50 price ticket when it was confirmed, and writer 2K and developer Hangar 13 managed expectations by stressing pre-launch that it was completely not a Grand Theft Auto-style open-world sport, however a linear, narrative-driven sport.
Take-Two stopped quick of offering precise gross sales figures however stated the early 1900s Sicily-set Mafia “shortly surpassed our inside expectations and affirmed our perception that shopper demand stays robust for premium, narrative-driven experiences that over-index on worth.” Though it’s unclear when or how one other Mafia sport might materialize in the long run, extra new content material and updates for The Old Country are confirmed to be in the works.
Mafia: The Old Country launched in August as a prequel for the crime drama online game franchise that first acquired its begin with the unique Mafia in 2002. The sequence noticed semi-regular releases up till the launch of the divisive Mafia 3 in 2016, with solely a gaggle of well-received definitive version remasters arriving to interrupt up the watch for extra in 2020. After practically a decade of ready for a brand new entry, it appears like followers will not have to attend fairly as lengthy for extra.
Hangar 13 and 2K propped The Old Country up as a contemporary begin for Mafia when it launched earlier this 12 months, and it seems to be a plan that’s panning out. We known as it “Nice” in our 8/10 assessment. On the time of its launch, we stated, “Mafia: The Old Country is a traditional however efficient return to the linear and tightly story-driven format of the unique Mafia and Mafia II, and it boasts a beautiful eye and ear for element.”
For extra on The Old Country, you may learn up on the Free Trip mode it acquired as half of a free replace just a few months again. It’s also possible to try every little thing you might want to find out about its PC and console specs, options, and extra.
Michael Cripe is a contract author with IGN. He is finest identified for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. You should definitely give him a comply with on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).