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.
Old Country, New Engine
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.
"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."
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."
Upgraded Tools of the Trade
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.
“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."
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 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, and is available for pre-order and 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.
