Mafia 3 To Blame For Mafia: The Old Country Scrapping Open World

Mafia: The Old Country is almost here for players interested in stepping into the fourth mainline installment of the series. However, what might have surprised some players is that the developers at Hangar 13 weren’t going to follow the previous game’s trend of making this an open-world experience. Instead, we learned early on that the developers chose to make this experience a concise linear game, much to the vein that the original two installments offered.

Recently, IGN uploaded their first hands-on preview of the game, which you’ll find below. However, what we took notice of was the opening comments in the video. After speaking with Hangar 13’s president, Nick Baynes, IGN learned that the developers viewed Mafia 3 much like how players did.

While they had enjoyed the game, the open world experience just didn’t fit the series. Add in the fact that there was a ton of praise for Mafia: The Definitive Edition, a remaster of the first installment, and it cemented the team’s decision for the upcoming game. We would head back to a previous gameplay design that focused on a linear storyline.

What we’ll have is a fairly open world to explore, but it serves as a backdrop for the story. Players shouldn’t expect random missions from NPCs or anything to keep them from progressing through the main campaign. This decision also serves as a reason why the game will only cost you $50.

Mafia: The Old Country Premise

If you’re just stumbling into the Mafia franchise, this installment is set well before the events of previous games. Mafia: The Old Country is putting players in 1900s Sicily. We’ll be stepping into the role of Enzo Favara, who manages to escape labor in the sulfur mines to join the Torrisi crime family.

While you can get a look at a preview from IGN below, there is also a mission video uploaded not long ago focusing on the stealth components. As for when you can get your hands on the game, Mafia: The Old Country is set to launch on August 8, 2025. When it releases, you’ll find it available for the PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S platforms.