Mafia 4 is currently in development. There aren't many confirmed details yet, but we have a heard a few interesting rumors, and a job listing from developer Hangar 13 tells us a little about the direction they are going in. Here is everything we know so far.
Back in the day, Mafia was the game. Every cool kid in the schoolyard was playing it, and everybody who wasn't playing it... wasn't cool. Simple. There was even a time when Mafia was cooler than GTA because it was "real mafia stuff" – as if we had any clue as kids, but hey... it definitely felt grittier.
A lot of people are starved for a new Mafia game, considering the last one was Mafia 3 released in 2017, and it wasn't exactly what we were hoping it would be. Sure, the Mafia Definitive Edition from 2020 was lit, but still... we need fresh blood.
Good thing then that the development of Mafia 4 was officially confirmed. Here is everything we know so far about Mafia 4.
Update (May 21, 2024) Mafia 4 Expected To Be Revealed At Summer Game Fest
According to a number of insiders, there's a good chance Mafia 4 will be revealed at the 2024 Summer Game Fest, on June 7. This is just a rumor, but it's coming from a Czech gaming site called Vortex, who have made a number of such claims before that turned out to be accurate.
Given the fact Hanger 13 have been openly recruiting developers for over a year now, we think a reveal in the summer of 2024 is quite reasonable.
Release Date Expectation
Hanger 13's last Mafia project, Mafia: Definitive Edition, was released in 2020, and we can safely assume that they have been at least partially working on the fourth installment since then. If we couple this assumption with the recent rumor about Mafia 4 being revealed at the Summer Game Fest, then we think a 2025 release window is reasonable.
2025 is just an educated guess based on the news we've heard so far. It could take longer, or — if we're lucky — it could come as soon as 2024.
Will Mafia 4 come out before GTA 6?
Mafia 4 Gameplay Details
Hangar 13, the developer of Mafia 4, have been accidentally revealing details about the game left, right and center... via LinkedIn.
Stealth System
In a LinkedIn post looking for a Principal AI Designer and Lead AI Designer, the wording mentions "engaging Stealth and Combat gameplay loops", indicating that the game will feature a stealth system:
"Work closely with the AI Lead and relevant stakeholders to ensure delivery of engaging Stealth and Combat gameplay loopsHands on design and development of our combat and non-combat NPCs"
This was probably to be expected.
Possible Multiplayer Mode
Another job listing for a Senior Systems Designer offers even more info. This job asks for "Experience with AAA titles, multiplayer games and/or live game design experience preferred". Will Mafia 4 feature multiplayer? This seems to suggest that it might, which would be a series first and a really cool feature (potentially).
Unreal Engine 5
Another Hangar 13 job listing revealed that they were working with UE5. The company was looking for a programmer to work on "an unannounced multi-platform game currently in pre-production using Unreal Engine 5."
Since it's highly unlikely that Hangar 13 is working on another AAA game outside of Mafia 4, this will most likely refer to that title. Unreal Engine 5 isn't hugely surprising, but it's a good decision from Hanger 13.
Mafia 4 Plot Details
According to a report by Kotaku, from which we also learned that Mafia 4 is being internally code-named Nero, the game will apparently be a prequel, that centers on the rise of the Salieri family. And if you haven't played the first game, Don Salieri is the Mafia boss you work for, who grew up in Sicily before coming to America.
We expect it to be presented like Godfather 2, which jumps between Sicily in the 1900s and America in the 1950s, to tell the story of young Vito Corleone, while also telling the story of Michael Corleone, his son.
This rumor was recently supported by XboxEra co-founder Nick Baker, who in a recent episode of the podcast claimed that Mafia 4 will be partially set in Sicily over the years 1890 to 1920.
What a fantastic direction to take the story in. Far better than whatever they were doing in the third game.
