Throughout the entire Mafia series, the settings have always been just as important as the protagonists, with Lost Heaven, Empire Bay, and New Bordeaux being as central to the series' identity as Tommy, Vito, and Lincoln. Mafia: The Old Country's striking new backdrop of early 1900s Sicily is no exception, with its distinct topography providing a whole new experience compared to the dense American metropolises players have visited in past Mafia games. The rough-hewn beauty of Sicily's rugged countryside is a stark contrast to the grimy urban alleyways that Mafia fans are familiar with—but the treachery, violence, and complex history of this gangland run just as deep.
Going Back to Where it All Began
As the home of this story and its new antihero, Enzo Favara, the rarely seen Sicilian setting provides a breathtaking new perspective on the series' recurring themes, as well as the origins of the Mafia itself. "The most important thing for us was to make sure Mafia: The Old Country was an extension of the games we've made so far," says Game Director Alex Cox, who points out that the franchise has already been to Sicily in Mafia II. While revisiting the previous titles during the development of 2020's Mafia: Definitive Edition and Mafia: Trilogy, the team was fully immersed in what makes the classic Mafia formula great, priming them to translate those same creative pillars into a bold new location.
"Putting our story in rural Sicily, where the Mafia began, necessitated changes in how we approach aspects of the game," Cox continues. "It informed its look and feel, vehicles, weapons, the story itself and its locations. We had to begin by asking, 'Where and how did these criminal traditions begin, and in the context of designing an interactive crime drama, what makes Sicily special?'"
Bringing History to Life
As with every Mafia title, authenticity is a critical component of realizing this believable setting, and the Hangar 13 developers went all-out when it came to real-world research. In addition to digging up rare photos and written accounts from the period, and consuming every popular book or film portraying the Sicilian Mafia, a group of team members and photographers traveled to Sicily to gather the rest of their copious reference material.
Partnering with Italian development studio Stormind Games, they were led on a thorough tour through every type of rural and urban locale depicted in Mafia: The Old Country. The images and audio captured were so richly detailed that some of the areas you'll explore in-game feel like they could've been pulled from the real world. "A lot of the Sicilian countryside still looks today like it did back then, so it's easy for us to get great visual references," says Associate Design Director Zammit.
By exploring the environments that make up the actual Sicilian landscape, the team saw for themselves that it's far from uniform. Their in-person and at-home research helped them identify and recreate these diverse, overlapping settings, which include lush countryside and coastal terrain, ancient ruins, and exquisitely detailed villas. "It was important for us to break down what exists in real life and approach each area individually," says Executive Producer Devin Hitch. "Once we started to blend those together, you could seamlessly move through all of these areas in one vast-yet-varied map." The rare blend of rugged nature and relatively modern architecture is true to the era, and a prime example of what makes Mafia: The Old Country's turn-of-the-century mob story stand out.
Authenticity Informs Everything
"There were times on the trip where you would turn a corner and step into the period of our game," says Art Director Steve Noake. "Almost every detail was exactly as you would expect to see it, especially in the rural locations—but also in the little towns and cities we visited." In those urban spaces, the team says they found nearly the full range of architectural details we see in-game, as well as local experts with intimate knowledge of the region's time-honored craftsmanship.
"We went to a small machine shop where this older gentleman and his son make traditional Sicilian knives," Noake says. "Every region has a slightly different approach to knife-making, so you can almost place each blade in the same way you could geographically place a bottle of wine." Though the delicate art of knife-making has deep roots in Sicilian tradition, today, only a handful of people still craft these weapons for collectors around the world.
The painstaking accuracy of this research informs every aspect of Mafia: The Old Country, particularly the new gameplay and storytelling possibilities it affords. On a foundational level, properly realizing 1900s Sicily provides essential context for the game's narrative, character motivations, and the Mafia's seldom explored early days. Beyond that, staying true to history helped guide other creative decisions throughout development, like the focus on knife combat and turn-of-the-century travel methods, that cement the game's identity as something distinct from what you've experienced before.
"There aren't many games where you see horses riding alongside cars on the road," says Zammit. "One thing that makes Mafia: The Old Country different is its depiction of this historical junction point where agricultural and urbanized life come together." While past Mafia titles let you move through relatively small rural areas, putting the countryside at the core of this experience is another way this game recontextualizes familiar elements to make them feel new. Whether it's the refreshed environments, more dynamic traversal options, Enzo's period-accurate arsenal, or just the way characters speak and move, Hangar 13's holistic approach to realizing Sicily makes it far more than just a gorgeous backdrop.
It won't be much longer until you can explore this setting yourself when Mafia: The Old Country launches August 8, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. It's available for pre-order and pre-purchase now, and be sure to keep an eye out for future Dev Diary articles diving deeper into the making of this unique Sicilian crime drama.
