Mafia: The Old Country Devs Discuss Returning the Series to its Roots – IGN First

We've been covering Mafia: The Old Country successful an exclusive mode each period agelong done our IGN First "cover story." We anticipation you've enjoyed the gameplay and our hands-on preview. Today we person the pleasance of talking to Hangar 13 workplace president Nick Baynes and crippled manager Alex Cox astir returning the Mafia bid to its not-open-world roots, which games The Old Country takes plan inspiration from, the plentiful magnitude of effect recovered passim the upcoming prequel, and more. The pursuing is simply a transcript of the video interrogation supra that has been lightly edited for clarity.

IGN: Nick, I wanted to commencement present due to the fact that I got to speech to you successful idiosyncratic past week erstwhile I did get to play the crippled and thing that jumped retired astatine maine conscionable from our idle speech was much than once, you mentioned your tendency to spot players implicit this story. And truthful I'm curious, did your telemetry amusement you that wasn't the lawsuit with Mafia III?

Hangar 13 Studio President Nick Baynes: Not truthful much. It's more, I suppose, anecdotal, the information that the quality of the benignant of crippled that we are making, and if you look astatine the different Mafia games that were possibly a spot much focused and based overmuch much astir a communicative that had a precise wide linear way done it. I deliberation people a batch of radical completed those and we person a batch of feedback from radical who, you spot each the absorption videos online of radical completing those games erstwhile they play it. And I deliberation that's a truly almighty thing. And I deliberation some arsenic a subordinate of games myself and arsenic listening to the fans, radical similar finishing these stories and the mode that we archer the stories, they're designed to beryllium completed. I deliberation we are really, truly arrogant of the communicative we're telling and the full communicative arc and the improvement of the characters done the story. So yeah, I conjecture wherever we're coming from, it's not needfully a specifically data-driven thing. It's conscionable we're telling stories and I deliberation each storyteller wants idiosyncratic to find retired however their communicative ends.

IGN: You've some talked astir this determination that you've conscionable alluded to again present of pulling backmost from going much of an unfastened satellite way arsenic Mafia III did to a much linear, narrative-focused communicative arsenic with the archetypal 2 games. Alex, I'd emotion to perceive from you, what drove that decision?

Mafia: The Old Country Game Director Alex Cox: Well, really it was the effect to Mafia Definitive Edition successful a batch of ways. We got the effect to that game. One of the responses was, "Hey, it is large to get to the extremity of the crippled due to the fact that it's a small shorter than Mafia III was and spot the ending." So that benignant of triggered ... We got a effect from the remake that that was the benignant of Mafia crippled that a batch of players wanted to play, and it benignant of led america down that roadworthy is erstwhile we were reasoning astir what was adjacent for the franchise, what was the adjacent benignant of crippled we wanted to build? Obviously we were going done a large motor revision arsenic good for this crippled excessively truthful we wanted to support it rather focused connected what we deliberation Mafia does best, which is telling large stories. So yeah, that's however each of that benignant of came together. It was truly the effect to ... Yeah, it was the effect to remake.

IGN: And I accidental from a plan standpoint, it surely changes your mindset a ton. And Nick, from much of a workplace level perspective, it possibly shortens the timeline a spot excessively arsenic opposed to doing much of a afloat unfastened satellite thing. So I conjecture what I'm trying to accidental is determination are astir apt a batch of benefits that travel retired of this that are not the archetypal happening you're going for. You're making a originative decision, but it seems similar determination are a batch of blessed broadside effects from it too.

Nick: Well, the biggest broadside effect of it's not truthful overmuch astir however agelong it takes to marque it. It's much astir the information that the things that you are doing, you're much focused connected and you tin give much clip to truly pushing the prime and making definite that it's a existent polished gem, that everything successful the crippled has had the close magnitude of attraction spent connected it to marque definite that everything the subordinate encounters feels really, truly precocious prime and that we get to present what we privation to do. And I deliberation sometimes conscionable mostly arsenic developers, you privation to absorption connected everything, but you person to marque choices and prioritize, and people the much focused you're getting, the much you tin really polish everything. So that's precise overmuch a cardinal happening astir that full benignant of ... I usage the look polished gem arsenic perfectly thing we've referred to passim improvement successful presumption of our absorption and however we wanted to absorption connected this.

Alex: I mean, that was the look for Mafia I and Mafia II arsenic well, and that was the plan rule that we wanted to instrumentality to. Both of those games were ... I'm talking astir the remake of Mafia II, but astir apt applies to the archetypal crippled arsenic good backmost successful 2002. But erstwhile we are talking astir a highly choreographed, precocious prime enactment escapade crippled with a linear story, with this beauteous chaotic backdrop oregon nevertheless you privation to notation to it, that's the look that we wanted to revisit. And I deliberation arsenic Nick mentioned there, the magnitude of clip and attraction that we're putting into the cinematic presentation, the enactment escapade gameplay is overmuch higher than games that truly absorption connected a broader benignant of breadth of [gameplay].

IGN: The gaming assemblage responded incredibly positively to the quality that you guys were benignant of going backmost to that much communicative linear absorption from the archetypal 2 games, and determination was a truly affirmative reception, surely gamers are blessed erstwhile they perceive that the crippled is going to outgo a small little than they might've initially expected. It's a $50 terms constituent for you guys, and I cognize the terms is yet acceptable by your steadfast astatine 2K, but I accidental the 1 possibly ... concern's astir apt excessively beardown a word, but conscionable possibly flimsy antiaircraft interest that I deliberation is earthy from a batch of gamers is that, "Oh, good this indispensable mean The Old Country is truly short." Now, I cognize you guys astir apt don't privation to beryllium present and springiness a fig for however galore hours this crippled is due to the fact that past radical conscionable connect bully oregon atrocious things to that. But I conjecture would you similar to code immoderate of those benignant of antiaircraft concerns astir "getting your money's worth?"

Nick: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So I deliberation the archetypal happening is, I mean, again, evidently we're not going to springiness an nonstop fig and partially that it's evidently antithetic for each azygous player. But mostly speaking, if you deliberation of Mafia I, Mafia II, that's astir the aforesaid scope and standard arsenic this game, and I deliberation hopefully, I don't deliberation anyone's going to beryllium disappointed if they're going into it with that expectation.

Like you say, truly arsenic developers, we don't truly deliberation astir the terms point. We conscionable absorption connected making the champion crippled possible. But this game, I consciousness similar it drips AAA quality. When you play the game, I don't deliberation anyone's going to play this crippled and consciousness that, "Oh, this is simply a little fund game." It looks incredible, it plays truly well. There's each the extent you'd expect successful presumption of dialog and the satellite that has been created astir the players and the acquisition they spell through. So I deliberation truly nary 1 needs to beryllium acrophobic astir the prime of the crippled oregon thing similar that, oregon it being ace short. I mean, I saw idiosyncratic online erstwhile we announced the terms saying thing like, "Oh, I stake it's similar 3 hours." It's not 3 hours, but going into it expecting a Mafia I, Mafia II benignant experience, I deliberation everyone's going to beryllium ace happy.

IGN: I truly get the sense, and again, you guys person benignant of already astir said it present directly, that Mafia I truly is benignant of the touchstone oregon the North Star for this task due to the fact that of that reception that you mentioned to the definitive edition. Can you talk to that of however the reception to the remake of the archetypal crippled energized the squad and drove the creativity for this one?

Alex: Yeah, it's comic really due to the fact that erstwhile we came to bash the remake, what we did is we really channeled the plan philosophy, the originative attack of Mafia II to the remake, to the archetypal Mafia. So if you cognize what I mean, we structured it successful the aforesaid mode we presented the chapters successful a precise akin benignant of mode to Mafia II. So it was benignant of like, what would the archetypal Mafia person looked similar if it was remade done the originative lens of Mafia II? And truthful this task has been successful a akin benignant of way, taking inspiration from some of those titles. It's structured, arsenic you mentioned, you mentioned chapters, for example. It's got a precise akin operation to those games. That's however we disagreement up our story. Our communicative is, again, successful a akin mode to those 2 titles, dispersed implicit respective years of time.

There's important benignant of changes done Enzo's journey. And successful presumption of what we wanted players to consciousness similar is that portion we've created a caller Mafia crippled for a caller procreation of Mafia games, that it is precise acquainted connected the pad, it's precise acquainted successful presumption of look and consciousness of the title. It's got communicative connections, it's acceptable successful the aforesaid universe, it's thing that's going to beryllium instantly acquainted to players that privation much Mafia, but it's moving guardant successful each aspects. It's visually cutting borderline for games successful 2025. We've moved gameplay guardant successful assorted ways from what we did successful the past. And truthful yeah, it's similar a restart for the franchise successful galore ways, but there's a batch of familiarity nether the hood.

Nick: I deliberation also, conscionable to adhd to that, and I don't ever cognize however galore radical ... If radical cognize excessively overmuch astir this, but there's existent connective insubstantial present astatine Hangar 13 each the mode backmost to the archetypal Mafia. So we've got radical present moving connected The Old Country that worked connected Mafia I backmost successful the aboriginal 2000s. We've got radical who worked connected Mafia II and each 3 each the mode done including the definitive edition. So erstwhile we're talking astir looking backmost to the archetypal one, immoderate of the squad present really worked connected that archetypal one. So we're not needfully adjacent looking astatine it to reference. I deliberation each crippled is influenced by the last, what worked, what didn't work, however tin we amended it?

The different happening arsenic good is we ever starting immoderate game, but evidently successful peculiar a Mafia game, we look astatine what makes a Mafia game? What is it the players want? What bash we deliberation makes a Mafia game? And looking astatine each that collectively, and gathering connected our experience. But similar I was saying, it's truly cool, it's not conscionable radical that joined recently, similar myself, I joined seven, 8 years ago. So I tin look astatine the aged game, say, "This is wherever it comes from." Whereas immoderate radical present really look backmost and they worked connected it, they've lived it since the precocious 90s really, erstwhile they archetypal started moving connected it. So that's the different happening arsenic well. There's this large done line, not conscionable successful presumption of immoderate of the communicative connections and immoderate of the crippled features, but besides with the squad themselves, which is truly awesome, I think.

IGN: Now, Alex, you were talking about, I privation to perceive from some of you connected this. I'm going to bash the Sophie's Choice happening due to the fact that I'm conscionable curious. You're not allowed to accidental Mafia: The Old Country but what's each of your favourite crippled successful the bid truthful far?

Alex: Well, excavation is [Mafia] II, but that's due to the fact that that was the archetypal crippled I worked on, truthful it's benignant of imprinted itself connected me. That was my archetypal game. I worked successful QA, I was primitively a tester. My archetypal crippled successful improvement was connected Mafia II...It was truly hard backmost past with the limitations we had with evidently the graphical limitations and each that benignant of stuff. But the archetypal Mafia, erstwhile it archetypal came retired and I archetypal saw it, it perfectly blew my mind. And past 20 years later, 18 years later, to get the accidental of moving connected it myself with the definitive variation and seeing it reimagined, I conscionable deliberation that to me, it's got a truly timeless classical story. I emotion the mode it's structured. Yeah, I deliberation that's my favorite.

Nick: For me, it's [Mafia] 1, I deliberation for 2 reasons. First crushed is erstwhile it came out, it was conscionable absolutely, I think, groundbreaking successful presumption of there's 1 oregon 2 games astir that clip which were pushing, bringing cinematic storytelling into games.

IGN: So Alex, you hinted astatine this. You mentioned the motor a small portion ago, and I wanted to benignant of ellipse backmost connected that due to the fact that I've been playing Mafia since the opening arsenic well, and it's ever been a beauteous game. And from what I've seen and had the privilege of playing present of Mafia: The Old Country, it's inactive very, precise overmuch is. You guys person moved from a proprietary motor to Unreal Engine 5, and I'm funny astir the impetus down that choice.

Alex: Well, Unreal, I deliberation arsenic many, galore players volition beryllium acquainted with now, brings an atrocious batch to caller games, gives america cutting-edge visuals successful particular. And for the benignant of crippled we were looking to marque this clip around, we really, truly wanted to enactment a monolithic accent connected portraying the quality of Sicily, the fantastic landscapes, positive the MetaHuman tech and each of the worldly that's truly allowed america to bash really, truly apical prime cinematic presentation. The performances of the actors are really, truly fantastic. Amazing prime facial, and that's cardinal to this Mafia crippled arsenic it was for each erstwhile Mafia games successful their clip of merchandise and achieving that benignant of let's accidental ocular cutting borderline successful particular, situation creation and cinematics, was truly beforehand of caput erstwhile we decided to marque the transition.

Nick: And besides going backmost to thing we were saying earlier, it's astir absorption and absorption connected prime and absorption connected the content. When you're doing your ain engine, that's a batch of clip you person to walk and effort successful making definite it's cutting borderline and it inactive looks modern and you've got a batch of dense lifting to bash connected that. And evidently arsenic exertion gets much and much ... As things get much and much advanced, that takes much and much time. And I deliberation arsenic a studio, we conscionable truly wanted to absorption connected the gameplay, the visuals, the storytelling, the cinematics, and to beryllium capable to enactment arsenic overmuch absorption connected that arsenic opposed to really creating the motor that it sits on, it truly helps america and I deliberation yet allows america to make and present a amended prime game.

IGN: Was determination a peculiar scenery oregon country that you guys prototyped successful Unreal Engine 5 to marque definite that it was going to correspond the ocular prime that you wanted of the series? Because what visually I retrieve astir oregon what stuck with maine aft playing your crippled for 3 hours is the landscapes. I mean, the characters look great, don't get maine incorrect there, nary complaints for immoderate of that. But it's that Sicilian landscape. That's truly what benignant of stuck with me. So I'm conscionable curious, was determination a small trial country that you made to marque definite that everybody astatine the workplace was blessed with wherever it was going to spell technologically?

Alex: Yeah, it's comic really due to the fact that the archetypal happening that we did close astatine the opening of the project, and it was astir similar the full squad moved to Unreal and we decided to travel unneurotic astir 1 workout that we could each align behind. And that was creating the marketplace quadrate situation from Mafia II. Mafia II starts successful Sicily, and really our crippled is acceptable successful the aforesaid ... You spot this municipality called San Celeste close astatine the opening of Mafia II. We chose that for a full wide assortment of reasons. A, we already cognize what it looks like. B, we tin spot what it looks similar erstwhile we've massively upgraded it similar 15 years later. And besides we cognize that astatine the pre-existing determination from the franchise, we're going to transmission the originative vision, we're going to transmission the communicative universe. We're going to get each of the worldly successful determination by grounding ourself successful that archetypal place. So that's wherever we started, close successful the halfway of San Celeste.

IGN: Digging into the gameplay a small spot here, I've got a fistful much questions for you guys. Stealth, we were talking earlier we recorded, I emotion stealth. And erstwhile I was playing Mafia: The Old Country, I took afloat vantage of the stealth opportunities that were presented to me. It seems similar it is simply a afloat supported combat play benignant choice, possibly not needfully successful each scenario. Sometimes you're going to person a one-on-one weapon combat with idiosyncratic that's unspeakable and you're not going to stealth your mode retired of it. But what were the goals with implementing stealth into Mafia: The Old Country?

Alex: Mafia's got these ... We telephone it a roller coaster experience. Sometimes you play a choreographed shootout, sometimes it's a car chase, sometimes it's a stealth section, sometimes you get to choose, and stealth has been benignant of a large portion of the play your mode benignant of benignant of Mafia since Mafia II. It was successful Mafia II a small bit. Mafia III became beauteous overmuch play your mode each the mode through. For Mafia: The Old Country, it was ever going to beryllium portion of the formula.

The happening that's I deliberation astir pertinent to this crippled is due to the fact that we wanted to marque combat mostly much consciousness much dangerous, we wanted to bring successful a much grounded benignant of feeling to immoderate benignant of brushwood with enemies, we wanted to marque definite that stealth truly captured that vibe of surviving successful a unsafe environment. So there's a heightened worth to sneaking astir and taking retired a guard. And besides that vibe of, well, Enzo is trying to past successful 1900 Sicily. It's benignant of a assets larboard environment, you're having to loot and scrabble astir for resources successful combat, for example. Again, favoring a much deliberate gameplay benignant if you're going to stealth astir and benignant of instrumentality retired a fewer enemies.

IGN: I was truly amazed conscionable successful a amusive way, that Enzo's weapon seems to beryllium precise important successful the benignant of combat loop of the game. You guys fundamentally person a benignant of full weapon RPG strategy down to the constituent wherever successful my caput I couldn't assistance reasoning astir it of you astir person to reload your weapon similar a weapon erstwhile the leaf dulls. You got to instrumentality a infinitesimal to sharpen it. So tin you guys speech astir the plan choices of the weapon and however that's truly seems to beryllium benignant of doubled down on?

Nick: Well, I deliberation the archetypal happening is that Enzo, I deliberation we already described elsewhere that Enzo comes from the mines. He's surely had a precise impoverished childhood. He's utilized to scrabbling astir and making usage of thing that comes to manus and being resourceful. So erstwhile we added the knife, we didn't conscionable privation it to be, oh, it's a melee point you tin usage and it's possibly a antithetic takedown. It really needed to consciousness similar a existent astir hold of Enzo, it's thing that's truly ... He's overmuch much acquainted with knives and crisp objects than helium is with guns, for example.

So past it was like, well, okay, good if you've got a knife, what other would you bash with it? And you'd prime locks and you'd propulsion it, and you besides would bash takedowns. And past the question is, well, it can't beryllium to overpowered. Well, they're going to get blunted, truthful you request to sharpen them. And I deliberation truly that full happening was not conscionable having a limb for the involvement of it. Say, oh, we've added a weapon arsenic a melee item. It was overmuch much this is cardinal to who Enzo is and however helium goes done the satellite and however he's grown up.

Alex: Yeah, I mean it came from the past of Sicilian criminals arsenic well. That thought of a Sicilian transgression equipped with a weapon is benignant of similar portion of the past of the Sicilian Mafia weapon fighting, that is simply a benignant of martial creation successful Sicily. And truthful there's a batch of grounding successful the humanities discourse of the communicative and the imaginativeness of ... Yeah, I mean peculiarly erstwhile it escalates into weapon duals, Enzo versus atrocious feline connected a benignant of a sun-drenched hillside, similar warring to the decease is simply a halfway space that truly sells the unsocial facet of this game. What's the imaginativeness of title? It's grounded successful that 1900 Sicily mounting portion inactive broadly speaking, playing similar a Mafia rubric arsenic players would expect.

IGN: On a benignant of akin enactment astir authenticity, determination is simply a bully spot of Italian spoken this game, adjacent erstwhile playing successful English. I ideate the dialog successful this astatine slightest arsenic much, perchance much than immoderate different game, is astir apt gone implicit with a very, precise good bony comb? Because I ideate you've not lone got to marque definite that immoderate Italian connection that's utilized is done successful benignant of an authentic way, but also, and you guys person done this before, truthful it's not similar your archetypal rodeo here. But I ideate you've got to marque definite the dependable formed isn't doing immoderate benignant of stereotype caricature of a emblematic mafia transgression household too. So tin you benignant of talk to that benignant of authenticity portion of it?

Alex: When we look astatine the erstwhile Mafia Games, Mafia I, II, and III, the performances, the benignant of authenticity, the peculiar locale, Chicago, New York, New Orleans comes crossed from the performances, the actors and each of that stuff.

Now, we knew successful this lawsuit we were going to beryllium making a crippled that was chiefly English connection first, English connection is the autochthonal language, but had to beryllium accented. So that was ever going to beryllium a situation to debar the occupation you mentioned determination wherever it doesn't dependable strange, idiosyncratic putting connected an unusual accent, derivative oregon immoderate benignant of weirdness there. And truthful we were rather cautious successful the casting process. Several of the main formed are autochthonal Italian, truthful that helps, including Ricardo, who plays Enzo. He's a autochthonal Italian. And again, and everybody other could bash a precise plausible accent. Everybody spent immoderate clip with a dependable manager arsenic good to marque definite that they were arsenic adjacent arsenic imaginable doing an authentic Sicilian accented English. And past we've been consulting with a spouse team, a developer successful Sicily arsenic well, who's been giving america a batch of proposal astir taste matters, including show and such.

IGN: Just astir done here. But I'm funny wherefore a prequel this clip versus either continuing guardant successful clip aft three, oregon possibly adjacent going backmost to determination betwixt 2 and three. So tin you guys, I'm conscionable funny the determination to enactment the timeline wherever it was successful this one?

Nick: There's a batch of reasons. I mean, 1 of them was we wanted to commencement up a full caller communicative arc for the Mafia series. And truthful what amended ways than to spell backmost to the precise commencement of Mafia? What's truly bully astir this game, I deliberation is for caller players who are jumping connected for the archetypal time, they don't request to person played immoderate different Mafia games. But for players who person played the different games, determination are links and definite Easter eggs and quality hints and that benignant of worldly successful there, which links it each together. And it conscionable felt similar a bully spot to start. The root of organized crime, the root of the franchise itself, whilst besides mounting things up for the future.

And also, I deliberation 1 of the things we ever look astatine with Mafia is we're letting players play the mob movie. And we've done the large American transgression cities and it felt similar a truly unique, very, precise due spot to spell to. We thought it'd beryllium a beauteous situation to marque a crippled in, which arsenic you said, it has been. And it's conscionable a unsocial story, I guess. So I deliberation that was conscionable immoderate of the things. It gives gameplay opportunities that if we'd gone to different city, it mightiness person not fixed america the opportunities to what we've done successful this game, and evidently successful the future, who knows wherever we'll spell next. But this felt similar a truly due spot to benignant of footwear things disconnected successful this adjacent communicative arc.

IGN: Love it. All right. I saved my astir important question for past here. Now I lone played 3 chapters, astir 3 hours, but I deliberation successful that clip I saw much conscionable gorgeously rendered and beautifully lit effect successful your crippled than possibly I've seen successful immoderate full azygous crippled ever. So are you guys assured successful saying that you person the astir effect and champion looking effect successful the past of video games? This is simply a cardinal question here.

Nick: [laughs] Yes. I'm blessed to spell connected the grounds and authorities that is correct.

Alex: [laughs] 100%.