Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two, says that Mafia: The Old Country has “performed well ahead of expectations.” And he’s equally excited for the future of the franchise, which he thinks has a bright future.
Zelnick spoke to IGN in an interview ahead of the company’s Q2 financial report, detailing how The Old Country beat expectations. While we don’t have the official sales number, Take-Two’s earnings did say the title “quickly surpassed our internal expectations and affirmed our belief that consumer demand remains strong for premium, narrative-driven experiences that over-index on value.” Interestingly, this was the exact same earnings call that delayed Grand Theft Auto 6 to November 2026.
All this seems to suggest we might see more narrative-driven games in the same vein. Although it’ll likely be a while before there’s a new Mafia game, Zelnic added that “we’re really excited.”
Mafia: The Old Country was released earlier this year on August 8, and was put at a lower price point of $49.99. Unlike the rest of the series, which are massive open-world experiences, The Old Country was a highly focused narrative experience that takes roughly ten hours.
It’s also a period piece set in 1900s Sicily, focusing on a brand new character named Enzo Favara who becomes embroiled in the rise and fall of the Torrisi crime family.
The Old Country was fairly well received by fans, and it currently has a Mostly Positive score on Steam. Although the game isn’t without its problems, like we noted in our 6.5/10 review, saying,
“Mafia: The Old Country is the textbook definition of fine, which is a shame because the first game was such a stark contrast to anything that had come out at the time and had so many unique ideas. For this sequel to come out and do little else than push the boundaries of visual hardware is genuinely disappointing. Like I said, the story is definitely worth experiencing, but the game isn’t going to be remembered.”
Mafia: The Old Country is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
