Mafia: The Old Country News

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]When creating a grounded, ambitiously cinematic game like Mafia: The Old Country, getting great performance capture isn't just important—it's absolutely essential. That's why the team at Hangar 13 approached the process with the same care and vigilance as an auteur making a classic mob movie. By leveraging the development team's decades of storytelling and game-development experience, Mafia: The Old Country delivers a gritty crime drama worthy of both its genre inspirations and past entries in the franchise.[/p][p][/p][h2]Casting the Family[/h2][p]Of course, before there could be performances to capture, the team had to find the perfect actors to fill out their cast. And as Game Director Alex Cox puts it in the Dev Diary video above, the game's central characters "all just popped out from the screen as soon as we saw them."[/p][p]Riccardo Frascari—the actor behind Enzo's likeness and performance—stood out immediately, even if his take on the character differed slightly from the more naive protagonist some of the developers had originally envisioned during pre-production. It quickly became clear that this type of creative collaboration would only enrich the material, and soon the team was ready to begin shooting on the 2K performance-capture stages in Northern California and the Czech Republic.[/p][p][/p][p]During the production of Mafia: The Old Country, the stage in Brno, Czech Republic was where Hangar 13 captured the game's systemic animations, like player and NPC movements, along with the many non-speaking performances. For cinematics and other spoken, narrative-centric elements, the team used the stage in Petaluma, CA.[/p][p][/p][h2]Taking the Stage[/h2][p]Despite the challenges inherent to working in head-to-toe mocap suits and uncannily empty stages, the actors all delivered silver-screen-worthy performances that bring the humanity and brutality of Enzo's story into sharp focus. With the help of props, advanced motion capture technology, and equally talented directors and crew, the cast brought the story to life by way of the same skills they would've used on a traditional stage or film set.

"When we were casting the actors, I wasn't sure we would be able to capture all of the little details in their expressions," reflects Associate Design Director Josh Zammit. "But it really carries through. The entire team has done a phenomenal job capturing a lot more nuance from the performances than we could in previous titles."[/p][p]Executive Producer Devin Hitch shares that pride in how those subtleties come across in-game. "Everything we see on-screen is just so believable," says Hitch. "You feel every moment of each scene, and the facial expressions are incredibly detailed. The performances come through in a way that we've never seen before in a Mafia game."   

As Cox notes, the chemistry between the actors has been "amazing to watch," so players can expect to find no shortage of Hollywood-caliber performances when the game is finally in their hands later this summer. Mafia: The Old Country launches August 8, 2025, and is available for pre-purchase now. For now, stay tuned for one last forthcoming Dev Diary video digging even deeper into the making of this cinematic Sicilian epic.
[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Setting Mafia: The Old Country in 1900s Sicily is a bold creative choice that helps this narrative-driven crime drama stand out from its peers. For the team at Hangar 13, however, choosing such a famously stunning location demanded meticulous attention to detail in visual presentation and authenticity. More than just aiming to build environments few players have seen before, the developers also embraced new tools to bring that vision to life—and push it even further.[/p][p][/p][h2]Old Country, New Engine[/h2][p][/p][p]After more than two decades of developing games with proprietary technology, the studio saw Unreal Engine 5 as the ideal fit for Mafia: The Old Country. Once the switch was made, the team quickly began using the engine’s capabilities to push the visual boundaries of what a Mafia game could be.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p]"We wanted to make sure we exploit everything that these new technologies—which are particularly suited to this setting—have to offer," says Art Director Steven Noake. " I think in a more modern city, these breakthroughs would be less impactful than they are in Mafia: The Old Country, where we can take a crumbling Sicilian townhouse and render all of the plaster and layers of decay you would've seen there at the time." [/p][p][/p][p]In every screenshot and trailer, you can clearly see how the new tools empowered the art team to go far further in creating even the tiniest details. As Lead Environment Artist Michal Drimalka explains in the video above, "In past titles like Mafia III or Mafia: Definitive Edition, one building, for example, had around 20- to 30,000 triangles. One building in Mafia: The Old Country can have more than one million triangles." [/p][p][/p][h2]Upgraded Tools of the Trade[/h2][p][/p][p]In addition to empowering the team to craft breathtaking environments, the engine introduces advanced systems for rendering human characters and delivering realistic lighting. That raw power is immediately evident in the intricate facial details of every character in Mafia: The Old Country, enhancing the motion-capture performances that drive the game’s cinematic storytelling. Meanwhile, the new lighting technology allows artists to heighten the atmosphere and amplify the emotion in every scene.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]“Lighting is integral to our cinematic game experience—whether you're riding through the sun-drenched countryside, dueling against a stunning sunset, or creeping through the shadows of ancient crypts,” says Executive Producer Devin Hitch. “Being able to layer hyper-realistic lighting over our already incredible visuals adds tremendously to a player’s sense of immersion, no matter where they are in our world."[/p][p][/p][p]Taking the leap to chart a new technological course with Mafia: The Old Country's engine has already enabled Hangar 13 to create beautifully period-authentic Sicilian landscapes, and players will have plenty of jaw-dropping spectacle awaiting them when the game arrives later this summer. Mafia: The Old Country launches August 8, 2025, and is available for pre-purchase now. In the meantime, watch for more Dev Diary articles delving deeper into the making of this one-of-a-kind Sicilian crime drama.[/p][p]
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]
[/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
"It is binding. It is not forgiving. To betray one is to betray all."[/p][p]
Witness the moment Enzo Favara swears his loyalty and joins the Family in "The Initiation" the full cinematic scene from Mafia: The Old Country, revealed at the Future Games Show 2025.[/p][p]https://store.steampowered.com/franchise/mafia[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]"Betrayal burns because it can only come from someone close. An enemy can't hurt you like a friend." So says Don Torrisi in the new Mafia: The Old Country - "Loyalty is Everything" Story Trailer that debuted during Summer Game Fest 2025. Watch the trailer above for a closer look at Enzo's role in the ongoing feud between the Torrisi and Spadaro crime families, as he carries out the Don’s bidding to secure control of 1900s Sicily's criminal underworld.[/p][p][/p][p]Being part of the Family is a brutal business; Don Torrisi demands absolute loyalty, and those who cannot pay tribute will be punished. Enzo and his associates must be ready to spill the blood of anyone who would oppose the Don—or dare to endanger his beloved daughter Isabella.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p]