During the XboxEra Podcast, first information about the game world and plot of Mafia 4 was leaked. Now there are first hints about the game world.
The rumour mill is churning after the studio head of developer Hangar 13 Haden Blackman, has left the company. A report from (Kotaku) now suggests that development on Mafia 4 is already underway.
Update of 17 May
The details about the new Mafia game are slowly coming together after a leak revealed the first information about the game world and plot. As it currently looks, Mafia 4 will not be set in a well-known American city, but in Sicily. During the podcast “The XboxEra Podcast” industry insider “Shpeshal Nick” shared this information with his audience. The game is supposed to be set in the late 19th or early 20th century. So instead of car chases, we might have to saddle up the horses and prepare the carriage.
His source has also revealed the first details of the plot. The story will be more linear than in Mafia 2 and 3. In addition, an old acquaintance from Mafia 1 is celebrating his return. Don Salierie will be one of the main characters in Mafia 4, but he might not have been a Don at that time. It is assumed that we will either play as Salierie ourselves and let him rise in the ranks of the Mafia or we will stand by his side as a loyal subordinate in his career. In Mafia 1, Don Salierie was the head of the Salierie crime syndicate. As players, we fulfilled orders in his name and shot our way through the city of Lost Heaven with his blessing.
Film lovers will probably feel inevitably reminded of the classic “The Godfather 2” after these details, in which the rise of the Mafia boss Don Vito Corleone is told. For the time being, we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out whether the developers were inspired by this.
Original message from 6 May
New boss, new mafia
After seven years, Haden Blackman is leaving 2K Games and Hangar 13, where he was responsible for the development of Mafia 3 and Mafia: Definitve Edition, among others. The Chief Operating Officer, Matthew Urban, has also left the company, which indicates that the developer wants to focus more on established franchises like Mafia again. In an internal memo, 2K Games commented on the change in personnel.
What Haden has helped build will continue and grow in the years to come. We support all of our employees as they pursue their passions and wish him nothing but the best in the future.
With Blackman’s departure, a new man is taking his place, Nick Baynes, who is reported by Kotaku to be the development director of the new Mafia game. The project around Mafia 4 is said to be codenamed “Nero”. Instead of the Mafia 3 engine, which was already used for the remaster of Mafia, the new Unreal Engine 5 is to be used.
Prequel in the making?
It’s not really surprising that Hangar 13 is working on a new Mafia title. The franchise has always been successful, even if the third part of the series attracted rather negative attention due to technical problems. However, the development status of the game is probably still in the absolute early stages. Looking at the technical demos of the Unreal Engine 5 so far, however, the new Mafia should be a graphical treat.
According to a Kotaku source, Mafia 4 will be a prequel, i.e. it will take place before the old Mafia parts. It has not yet been leaked which era it will ultimately take place in, but the first Mafia was set in the 1930s. It remains to be seen whether we will be able to shoot our way through the fictional city of Lost Heaven like in the first part or whether we will be transported to real locations like in Mafia 3. Perhaps we will be transported to the Chicago of the 1920s, where we can make a name for ourselves with underworld boss Al Capone by smuggling alcohol, gambling and extorting protection money.
2K Games itself has not yet commented on the rumours and has remained silent.
