Prominent leaker Nick Shpeshal shared a fresh rumor about the new Mafia game in development at Hangar 13 during the XboxEra podcast. Talking in the show’s ‘rumor mill’ section, Nick said that the upcoming game might be set in Sicily. The leaker also said he had heard that the fourth mainline game in the franchise would focus on the family of Don Salieri.
New Mafia game is reportedly a prequel
The next Mafia game will reportedly be set in the late 19th, early 20th century — aligning with rumors from Kotaku that the game is a prequel to Mafia 1. As for gameplay, the next Mafia will reportedly focus on more linear story-telling, much like the first two games in the franchise.
In recent times, there has been a lot of change at Hangar 13 — the developers behind the Mafia franchise. After the departures of studio head Haden Blackman and chief operating officer Matthew Urban, uncertainty possibly awaits. However, according to a recent report by Kotaku, Hangar 13’s Brighton, UK studio is leading the development of this next Mafia game.
Fans hoping to get hold of the next installment soon will be disappointed, with the game reportedly early in development, as per the same report. The game is apparently code-named Nero and is expected to run on Unreal Engine 5. Hangar 13 will reportedly ditch the Mafia 3 engine, recently used for the remasters of the original games.
In previous Mafia games, Don Salieri headed up The Salieri Crime Family. This was formed after the death of Don Peppone, with both families having a previous alliance.
In other news, Remedy Entertainment revealed in its latest financial report that Alan Wake Remastered has yet to make a profit. Sony has compiled the ultimate gaming dictionary in a hilarious read! Meanwhile, speculation around a summer PlayStation showcase continues.