Mafia: The Outdated Nation not solely takes gamers again in time to the early 1900s, but additionally to a brand new place in Sicily. Sport director Alex Cox not too long ago talked about why the staff at Hangar 13 selected that setting and time for the brand new Mafia recreation after the newest entries have been set in later time intervals of mob historical past.
Cox stated in an interview with Xbox that whereas the primary three Mafia video games explored completely different eras of the American mafia, the staff “beloved the thought of heading to Sicily and exploring the early years of this fearsome crime group.”
For comparability, the unique Mafia befell within the Nineteen Thirties, with Mafia II selecting up within the Nineteen Forties. Mafia III, in the meantime, was set within the late Sixties.
Cox went on to say that making The Outdated Nation has been a “refreshing departure” for Hangar 13, as its staffers set to work on components of the “rugged Sicilian countryside” versus the busy cities of the opposite Mafia video games.
“Constructing this story has been an important expertise for everybody at Hangar 13–first studying about Sicilian historical past and the origins of the Mafia, then adapting that into an thrilling prison journey,” Cox stated.
Particularly, although, Cox stated he is enthusiastic about components of the time interval, together with horses, classic automobiles, and knife duels. Going down within the early 1900s means vehicles with hand-crank engines will seem in The Outdated Nation, he stated. “We have by no means had the participant driving on horseback earlier than! Galloping throughout the Sicilian countryside feels extremely releasing and is in contrast to something we have achieved prior to now,” Cox defined.
Whereas no entry within the Mafia sequence has been set fully in Sicily, the primary mission in Mafia II, titled The Outdated Nation, takes gamers to Sicily in 1943.
Builders from Hangar 13 visited Sicily to get a firsthand appear and feel for the island and its tradition. Cox went on to say that Hangar 13 has been working with a “native Sicilian accomplice” that gave the studio “invaluable steerage.” The staff additionally consulted Sicilian historical past specialists to assist the builders nail down issues like era-appropriate bricks, music, and even swear phrases.
As a result of The Outdated Nation is ready within the early 1900s, gamers will not have entry to trendy weapons, so the sport goals to make fight really feel “extra tactical and deliberate.”
“We have leaned closely into the ‘instruments of the commerce’ of a Sicilian Mafioso, from lupara shotguns to stiletto blades. There’s actual grit to those older, extra conventional weapons,” Cox stated.
Lastly, though The Outdated Nation contains a new primary solid of characters and goals to attraction to newcomers to the sequence, Cox stated present followers “will get a kick out of how Mafia: The Outdated Nation connects to the remaining [of the franchise].”
The Outdated Nation releases Summer time 2025 for PS5, Xbox Sequence X|S, and PC.
