Take-Two Boss Confident in Mafia Franchise After The Old Country Performs 'Well Ahead of Expectations'

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick is teasing a agleam aboriginal for the Mafia franchise aft this year’s prequel, Mafia: The Old Country, “performed good up of expectations.”

Zelnick spoke astir the aboriginal of 2K Games’ long-running open-world transgression bid during an interrogation with IGN up of Take-Two's Q2 fiscal study (the 1 with the latest GTA 6 delay). As developer Hangar 13 prepares to merchandise caller contented and updates pursuing The Old Country’s motorboat successful August, the Take-Two brag teased that fans whitethorn yet person much Mafia to look guardant to.

“Definitely,” Zelnick said erstwhile asked if The Old Country performed good capable to instill assurance to proceed the franchise. “We’re truly excited astir Mafia, and I deliberation that’s a large question due to the fact that it is benignant of a reset for the franchise. We don’t person thing to denote — that comes from the statement — but it decidedly performed good up of expectations."

It sounds similar the determination to merchantability Mafia: The Old Country astatine a cheaper than expected $49.99 terms constituent paid off, then. Fans praised The Old Country's $50 terms tag erstwhile it was confirmed, and steadfast 2K and developer Hangar 13 managed expectations by stressing pre-launch that it was perfectly not a Grand Theft Auto-style open-world game, but a linear, narrative-driven game.

Take-Two stopped abbreviated of providing nonstop income figures but said the aboriginal 1900s Sicily-set Mafia “quickly surpassed our interior expectations and affirmed our content that user request remains beardown for premium, narrative-driven experiences that over-index connected value.” Although it’s unclear erstwhile oregon however different Mafia crippled could materialize successful the future, much caller contented and updates for The Old Country are confirmed to beryllium successful the works.

Mafia: The Old Country launched successful August arsenic a prequel for the transgression play video crippled franchise that archetypal got its commencement with the archetypal Mafia successful 2002. The bid saw semi-regular releases up until the motorboat of the divisive Mafia 3 successful 2016, with lone a radical of well-received definitive variation remasters arriving to interruption up the hold for much successful 2020. After astir a decennary of waiting for a caller entry, it sounds similar fans won't person to hold rather arsenic agelong for more.

Hangar 13 and 2K propped The Old Country up arsenic a caller commencement for Mafia erstwhile it released earlier this year, and it appears to beryllium a program that’s panning out. We called it “Great” successful our 8/10 review. At the clip of its release, we said, “Mafia: The Old Country is simply a accepted but effectual instrumentality to the linear and tightly story-driven format of the archetypal Mafia and Mafia II, and it boasts a fantastic oculus and receptor for detail.”

For much connected The Old Country, you tin work up connected the Free Ride mode it received arsenic portion of a escaped update a fewer months back. You tin besides cheque retired everything you request to cognize astir its PC and console specs, features, and more.

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance writer with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).