Mafia: The Old Country — details from the developers, cast, plot and new mechanics of knife duels
At PAX East 2025, the studio Hangar 13 Shares New Details About Mafia: The Old Country — a prequel to the first part of the series, the action of which takes place in early 20th century Sicily. At a panel session with the participation of studio president Nick Baines, game director Alex Cox and cutscene director Tomas Hrebicek, many technical and plot details were revealed.
As Baines noted, the game will not be a full-fledged open world, but will allow you to freely explore a carefully recreated Sicily in the engine Unreal Engine 5. The plot will be linear and focused, like the first two parts of the series. According to the developers, the project returns to its roots and offers a "golden path" through the story, while maintaining the ability to move freely and explore the environment.
Cox clarified that the gameplay will feature elements unique to the era, including knife duels, a new key element of the combat system. Despite the focus on close combat, the game will also feature weapons, however shooting mechanics are closer to the first Mafia, rather than the more aggressive Mafia III. In addition, Some missions feature reimagined references to the series' classics, recognizable by fans.
The cast was also revealed during the presentation: The main character Enzo Favara will be played by Riccardo Frascari, the Don of the Torrisi family - Johnny Santiago, and his daughter Isabella - Carina Conti. In addition, Four characters from previous parts will appear in the game, but without specifying who exactly - in order to maintain the intrigue.
To recreate the atmosphere, the developers even used authentic cars from the early 20th century, having gained access to the collection in the Czech Republic - the cars were photographed, sound recorded and tested in reality in order to accurately convey their behavior in the game.
Mafia: The Old Country is set to release on August 8, 2025 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
