Hangar 13 and Stormind Games have released the first episode in their developer diary series for Mafia: The Old Country today. Titled Breaking Omertà: “Where It All Began”, this first episode focuses on the recreation of an authentic 1900s Sicily described as “a breathtaking new perspective on the series’ recurring themes, as well as the origins of the Mafia itself.”
2K has published a companion post to the video, which you can visit here.
Game Director Alex Cox says, “The most important thing for us was to make sure Mafia: The Old Country was an extension of the games we’ve made so far. Putting our story in rural Sicily, where the Mafia began, necessitated changes in how we approach aspects of the game,” Cox continues. “It informed its look and feel, vehicles, weapons, the story itself and its locations. We had to begin by asking, ‘Where and how did these criminal traditions begin, and in the context of designing an interactive crime drama, what makes Sicily special?”
Mafia: The Old Country
Hangar 13 and Stormind Games have said that authenticity is critical when developing a great Mafia title, and The Old Country is no exception. The teams had photos and written accounts from the period as well as sending groups to the region to gather “copious reference material.”
Associate Design Director Zammit said, “A lot of the Sicilian countryside still looks today like it did back then, so it’s easy for us to get great visual references.” Art Director Steve Noake added, “There were times on the trip where you would turn a corner and step into the period of our game. Almost every detail was exactly as you would expect to see it, especially in the rural locations, but also in the little towns and cities we visited.
“We went to a small machine shop where this older gentleman and his son make traditional Sicilian knives,” Noake says. “Every region has a slightly different approach to knife-making, so you can almost place each blade in the same way you could geographically place a bottle of wine.”
For the full developer diary, check out the video above.
Mafia: The Old Country is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on 8 August 2025.
