Mafia: The Old Country Presents Focused and Accessible Experience, Devs Say

At Hangar 13, the studio behind Mafia: The Old Country, clarified that the game's more concise duration does not mean lack of content or a less deep narrative. The title will be linear and story-focused, distancing itself from the extensive open world of Mafia III. This approach aims to deliver a "cinematic" and compact experience, eliminating irrelevant content.

The decision to adopt a more focused, mission-oriented format is a direct response to negative feedback about the structure of Mafia III, which was criticized for being excessively long and inconsistent with the series' identity. Hangar 13 stated that an open world was never in the plans for The Old Country, prioritizing a campaign that players could complete without feeling like the game was full of unnecessary filler.

Initial tests indicate that, even after three hours of gameplay, the story will still be developing, suggesting that the experience will not be short, but also not a 30 or 40-hour adventure. The estimate is that the main campaign will take between 8 and 15 hours to complete, a time similar to the first two games in the franchise.

The price of the standard edition will be around US$50 (or 50 euros), with a deluxe digital edition offering bonuses like cosmetic items, soundtrack, and digital art book. These more affordable prices were justified by Hangar 13 as a way to match the game's value to the experience it offers, in a market where many open world AAA titles cost between US70 and US80.

Hangar 13's strategy of focusing on a linear and shorter experience with a reduced price for Mafia: The Old Country could be a welcome differentiator in the saturated open world games market, or does the public still prefer longer titles, regardless of the price?