Take-Two Confident in Mafia After Old Country's Strong Start

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick is hinting at a promising future for the Mafia series, following the strong performance of this year’s prequel, Mafia: The Old Country, which "significantly exceeded expectations."

In an interview with IGN prior to Take-Two’s Q2 earnings report (the one announcing the latest GTA 6 delay), Zelnick discussed the future of 2K Games’ long-running open-world crime franchise. As developer Hangar 13 prepares to launch new content and updates following The Old Country’s August release, the Take-Two executive suggested that more Mafia adventures may be on the horizon.

“Absolutely,” Zelnick replied when asked whether The Old Country’s performance justified continuing the series. “We’re very enthusiastic about Mafia, and your question is spot-on—this title represents a fresh start for the franchise. While we have no official announcements yet—those will come from the label—the game clearly outperformed our projections."

It appears the strategy of launching Mafia: The Old Country at a reduced price of $49.99 proved successful. Fans had praised the $50 price point when it was first confirmed, and both publisher 2K and developer Hangar 13 tempered expectations by emphasizing that this was not a Grand Theft Auto-style open-world title, but a focused, story-driven experience.

Although Take-Two did not disclose specific sales numbers, the company noted that the early 1900s Sicily-set Mafia “quickly surpassed internal forecasts and reinforced our confidence in strong consumer demand for premium, narrative-focused games that deliver exceptional value.” While the timeline for a future Mafia installment remains uncertain, additional content and updates for The Old Country are confirmed to be in development.

Released in August, Mafia: The Old Country serves as a prequel to the crime drama video game series that began with the original Mafia in 2002. The franchise saw periodic releases up until the controversial Mafia 3 in 2016, with only a set of well-received definitive edition remasters arriving in 2020 to bridge the gap. After nearly ten years without a new main entry, it seems fans may not have to wait as long for the next chapter.

Hangar 13 and 2K positioned The Old Country as a soft reboot for the Mafia series upon its launch earlier this year—a strategy that appears to be paying off. IGN awarded the game an 8/10 review, praising it as “Great.” At release, we described it as “a traditional yet compelling return to the linear, story-rich style of the original Mafia and Mafia II, with an outstanding attention to audiovisual detail.”

For more on The Old Country, explore the Free Ride mode added in a recent free update. You can also find a complete guide to its PC and console specs, features, and more.