The Legacy of the Mafia Franchise, as Told by the Developers Who Make It

It’s considerably sobering to assume that the Mafia franchise is sort of 1 / 4 of a century outdated. Lots of the individuals who make the video games have been engaged on it for even longer. What started life in 2002 with the discharge of Phantasm Softworks’ Mafia has change into a major franchise for writer 2K. And, like most different sequence of comparable classic, Mafia has seen its ups and downs. However it’s nonetheless alive and kicking, even now, 25 years later.

At the moment, August 14, 2K releases Mafia: The Omertà Assortment, which incorporates Mafia: The Outdated Nation Definitive Version, Mafia: Definitive Version, Mafia 2: Definitive Version, and Mafia 3: Definitive Version. There’s additionally a free replace for Mafia: Definitive Version on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Collection X and S so as to add 60 frames-per-second gameplay — one thing followers have been crying out for for years. It’s a busy time certainly for the Mafia franchise and its developer, Hangar 13.

It’s not possible to supply a complete ‘making of’ your complete franchise and all its years of improvement in a single hour-long interview, however I gave it shot once I sat down to speak to Hangar 13 president Nick Baynes, Hangar 13 normal supervisor Roman Hladík, Mafia: The Outdated Nation recreation director Alex Cox, and cinematics director Tomas Hrebicek. Roman and Tomas, by the best way, have labored on Mafia from the very starting, becoming a member of the Czech Republic studio Phantasm Softworks within the metropolis of Brno to form what would change into the primary Mafia online game. They’ve seen all of it: the acquisition from 2K mother or father firm Take-Two in 2008, the rebrand to 2K Czech, and the merger into 2K’s Hangar 13 in 2017, and they’re nonetheless right here, nonetheless making Mafia video games.

So, in case you’ve acquired even a passing curiosity within the Mafia video games, I hope you discover one thing fascinating within the interview beneath. We talk about all the primary video games and the challenges they confronted, get some perception into the selections that have been made on the time, and there’s even room for slightly Mafia tease for the long run.

Mafia 1

IGN: I believe the apparent start line is initially, the preliminary premise of what Mafia was getting down to do. Is it attainable to hint that line to the place it’s now and the way it’s advanced?

Roman Hladík: If I’m going again to the early occasions of Phantasm Softworks, which was the indie studio the place it began, we joined it in all probability in 1998, if I keep in mind nicely. It was at a time when the studio was already engaged on Hidden & Harmful 1, the sport, and the proprietor of the studio needed to increase the enterprise and principally set up one other group. So he referred to as a few us, however we have been actually younger people on the time with little or no expertise of constructing video games as hobbies. And first we have been excited about one thing utterly totally different, however then the proprietor of the studio went to an exhibition and got here again with the thought or with the data that the sport we have been contemplating, many different related video games have been being developed on the time.

We began to consider a recreation that might be about crime, police, perhaps a policeman investigating the crime, but it surely flipped round afterward. And I believe it was Daniel Vávra who introduced the concept there can be a powerful story, which was not that frequent on the time. And so it occurred that the primary authentic Mafia was principally appreciated for the story, for combining the gameplay components and the story.

I do not assume that was a transparent intention initially. It simply occurred, how the concepts have been coming collectively and what we preferred to play and so forth. So it was, I might say, pure ardour at the moment driving us to ship one thing like that. And I’ve to say that we have been all slightly bit naive on the time. We did not know what we have been going to do. So we additionally struggled rather a lot to complete the sport. It took us 4, four-and-a-half years in all probability, and it was all proper again then.

Tomas Hrebicek: I keep in mind we preferred the gangster motion pictures, the romance behind it. So we have been watching Godfather, Miller’s Crossing, and Goodfellas. So I believe that each one mixed additionally the thought and we have been beginning to discuss that sort of recreation and the story and benefit from the romantic a part of the gangsters, but additionally to indicate the darkish sides of it. And as Roman mentioned, this time we need to deliver this tremendous robust story, but additionally it was the primary time we began to do the cinematography within the video games. I imagine we have been the primary ones to pay a lot consideration to the cinematics half in that. In order Roman mentioned, we have been fairly younger, naive, and we have been studying. Myself, I used to be chargeable for the cinematics, however I did not have any faculty on that. I used to be simply watching motion pictures, analyzing them shot by shot. And all of us have been simply studying on the best way and making an attempt to do the most effective.

Roman Hladík: And it is truthful to say that it was Tomas who introduced the cinematic half to the sport, and he does it nonetheless at this time principally on all of the Mafias.

IGN: How did you are feeling coming off the again of the primary Mafia? Did its success take anybody without warning? Was there a sense even then that this was going to be a long-running franchise and also you needed to begin plotting issues out in a grander sense?

Roman Hladík: I might say for us as builders, it got here as a shock. We did not anticipate this authentic Mafia to be this profitable. Perhaps the proprietor, Petr Vochozka, at the moment hoped for an enormous success. However I believe to all of us who have been on the staff, it got here as a shock. As a result of ending a recreation — and I believe it is nonetheless the identical — sooner or later it feels slightly bit infinite. You might be nonetheless debugging and iterating on the sport and we’re already drained and pissed off. So I might say we had that destructive feeling in ourselves.

However then when it got here out and gamers recognize it, it is at all times a pleasure to really feel that suggestions. If the sport is nicely obtained, you then’re getting the constructive suggestions. So positively it was, not less than for me, a shock. And since it was a industrial success as nicely, it was fairly apparent that we’re going to do the second.

Alex Cox: I began engaged on the franchise a few years after this was, however one factor that at all times struck me is how a lot of a cultural export Mafia was from the Czech Republic, on the time, a rustic that was nonetheless 10 years or so impartial. And if we take into consideration Tomb Raider and the way that was for the UK as one thing that broke out as a online game property, I believe that is double the case for Mafia from the Czech Republic, from a comparatively small nation in Central Europe, for the video games being internationally profitable was fairly an enormous deal for you guys, I assume.

After I visited the nation for the primary time, I used to be very stunned at how many individuals knew Mafia when, for instance, you are in a taxi and the taxi driver is aware of the franchise. It was a lot, rather more excessive profile than I used to be anticipating once I arrived there. So I do not know whether or not you guys take pleasure in any diploma of celeb in a means that may be shocking to folks exterior of Czech?

Tomas Hrebicek: I might say it took us without warning as a result of as Roman mentioned, it took us a lot time to develop the primary recreation. I am not pleased with the output till I get the constructive suggestions from the viewers. So I see a whole lot of issues we are able to enhance at all times. And likewise I might say the advertising and marketing was not again then, it was not that robust in America. And so it was an enormous constructive shock how extensively and internationally Mafia was identified. In order Roman mentioned, it was a industrial success, in order that opened the door to Mafia 2. And I believe Alex, you joined in direction of the tip or the center of Mafia 2?

Alex Cox: Across the center, sure. I used to be working for 2K on the time and I joined the mission when 2K have been going to accumulate Phantasm. The sport had been in improvement for a number of years with Phantasm as an impartial studio. Take-Two had labored with Phantasm on many video games earlier than, together with Hidden & Harmful. And so there was an in depth industrial relationship between the studio and the writer. And since 2K had a whole lot of religion in Mafia 2 specifically, the studio was acquired and Phantasm grew to become 2K Czech a few years earlier than Mafia 2 was shipped. And that was once I first joined the story as a producer on the time at 2K.

Mafia 2

Roman Hladík: As Alex talked about, it took us seven years to develop the second Mafia, which was much more than the primary one. And why I believe it occurred? After the success of the unique Mafia, we acquired a sense that now we are able to do no matter we wish. And the ambitions have been actually excessive. So I might say we arrange the design and the ambitions for our second Mafia actually excessive. After which clearly it was perhaps a bit too huge a problem for the staff to work it out. And likewise the expertise has developed over the time. The competitors was stronger and so forth. In order that was all of the the reason why it took seven years. Properly, once more, we made it ultimately, but it surely was additionally a very long time and never simple time, on a regular basis.

Alex Cox: However you talked about the competitors. It is fascinating, is not it? If we solid our minds again to that point, open world crime video games have been highly regarded. There have been a whole lot of different franchises on the market as nicely making an attempt to do the identical sort of factor. And there was a transition, wasn’t there? As a result of the unique Mafia was primarily a PC recreation. It was a recreation that was developed on PC. It had a clumsy console port, however truly it gained a whole lot of its recognition inside the PC viewers as a result of it was the primary open-world crime recreation that was out there on PC. Clearly had the cinematic method you guys mentioned.

However on the time, the large problem, I believe, was to maneuver the sport from its PC roots. We have been within the pre-Steam period there. So PC was a comparatively restricted market. And there was an enormous industrial push to make the sport right into a console recreation to get on the market alongside the opposite open-world crime video games that have been breaking out within the mass market.

And that was one of many huge technological challenges, wasn’t it? As a result of midway via improvement, there was an enormous engine change, wasn’t there? To go from RenderWare to begin with after which onto your individual engine, which contributes to the delays and create numerous complexity and challenges there?

Roman Hladík: That is all appropriate. It was expertise which was difficult, and it was additionally the expansion of the studio, the staff. As a result of once we have been ending Mafia 1, it was round perhaps 30 folks. However then on Mafia 2, we grew as much as nearly 200, if I keep in mind nicely. So it was additionally about managing the larger staff and all of the challenges that are coming with that.

Nick Baynes: At the moment, I believe I am proper in saying your complete staff was in Czech?

Alex Cox: That is proper. The entire staff was in Czech. I imply, clearly the studio’s advanced over the course of time to be rather more worldwide, however there was an enormous tradition change as nicely, wasn’t there at the moment as I keep in mind. I used to be working for the writer. We grew to become very rather more intently concerned with improvement when Phantasm joined the 2K group. And I believe there was an enormous tradition change for you guys there as nicely, wasn’t there, by way of tips on how to adapt to one thing like a extra fashionable recreation improvement studio.

Tomas Hrebicek: It was an ideal transition from this simply closed Czech-only studio in Mafia 1, transitioned via Mafia 2, partially worldwide as a result of we have now cooperation with 2K publishing. For instance, all of the movement seize for the primary two video games have been occurring purely in Czech Republic. After which the English efficiency was carried out by dubbing ADR post-pro.

Throughout Mafia 2, we got here already to sound sales space studios collectively and we spent months recording voiceovers, enjoying the true dubbing of the cinematics. And the distinction is absolutely seen between the Mafia 1 and Mafia 2. So the cooperation was a lot nearer. After which on Mafia 3, we labored with American actors in an American studio. So there was transition over the video games.

Alex Cox: That is actually fascinating, is not it? As a result of I keep in mind the primary recreation was translated from Czech, Daniel Vávra’s script in Czech, after which somebody within the UK mounted up some typos and textual content points within the script. Within the second recreation, truly an American scriptwriter took the script, did not they? They usually spent months and months transforming it and truly working with the expertise within the studio. In order that was an enormous evolution by way of the artistic high quality of the VO. After which clearly you guys have been working to the VO once you have been doing the mocap, in order that was fascinating.

After which by the point we acquired to a few, after all, yeah, we have been doing all of that artistic manufacturing facet of issues had largely moved to America. So once more, there was I would say a step up by way of definitely the Americanization side of it. It was fairly uncommon for you guys to be writing American video games and tales set in America from Czech Republic, clearly, with a whole lot of references to TV exhibits and films fairly than lived experiences.

Tomas Hrebicek: What’s humorous, a whole lot of stuff in authentic Mafia 1 is from Brno, just like the church and all that stuff. So we have been simply making an attempt to get the American feeling from the images from the books, however all of the influences have been taken in Brno, right here round. On Mafia 2 and Mafia 3, we’re ready already to journey and take the photographs and actual stuff in America.

IGN: How do you are feeling about Mafia 2 trying again, good and unhealthy? Is there something there that you just assume you would have maybe carried out barely in another way?

Roman Hladík: Properly, it is tough to say. I’ve to say that I just like the Mafia 2 rather a lot. As a result of I believe we managed to get the ambiance of an American metropolis higher than what we did within the first one, for the explanations which Tomas talked about. As a result of no certainly one of us was touring to U.S. earlier than. So with Mafia 2, we already had an opportunity and we tried to do our greatest to seize that within the recreation. It is at all times stylized. The town is way smaller than the true cities, no matter, however I believe we acquired it in a a lot better means.

I believe we have been criticized on the time that we aren’t utilizing the open world as a lot as we should always. That was perhaps what was dragging our scores slightly bit decrease throughout the launch. Nevertheless it’s fascinating that over the time folks recognize Mafia 2 an increasing number of. They do not see these flaws they usually loved the story, which is nice. So I believe there was slightly little bit of controversy within the Mafia 2 was launched as a result of it in all probability did not match all of the expectations from gamers, but it surely nonetheless delivered a really stable leisure story and actions, which gamers began to love. I do not know tips on how to say that. It is at all times concerning the expectations versus the fact, and there was slightly little bit of hole there. So I want we might ship extra. However as we mentioned earlier than, it was a difficult mission for all of us and we did our greatest, and that is what was launched ultimately.

So perhaps if we do it today, we’d in all probability ship extra of the content material to the open world. However that is all I can say in all probability.

Alex Cox: On the time, a whole lot of video games have been increasing outwards, weren’t they? So I believe what you say there Roman is totally true. What gamers anticipated and what they acquired was not fairly the identical factor, but it surely’s not due to what we tried to — I believe we have been fairly trustworthy about what the sport was once we launched it — however gamers fairly fairly had an expectation, I believe, significantly by way of extra open-world content material.

There have been tales about we minimize numerous stuff out of the sport and issues like that as nicely, which was swirling round after launch, which have been fairly exaggerated. I imply, to Roman’s level, it was a tough recreation to launch and we did need to trim a little bit of scope, however we did not change the sport dramatically from an enormous open-world recreation to what it was. I imply, we’re speaking about slightly little bit of facet content material solely actually.

Trying again on it now, I utterly agree with Roman. It is the sport that got here closest, I believe, to matching everyone’s fantasy of their thoughts about what they see after they see Mafia on a field. I may be repeating one thing that Daniel Vávra mentioned up to now, that Mafia 2 was nearly his revision of Mafia 1 nearly to enhance and resolve points that he had with the primary recreation and eager to do higher. And I believe he succeeded there by way of the story. And it hit that sort of Goodfellas sort of vibe, which resonated nicely by way of the story, by way of the tone, by way of the setting and all the things like that landed very nicely.

I simply assume it suffered slightly bit from gamers’ expectations on the time, when extra was definitely thought-about higher in nearly each means for an open-world recreation. However yeah, I nonetheless assume it is remembered very fondly, and I believe for all the proper causes, that is it’s lasted the take a look at of time.

Roman Hladík: What I believe labored nicely in Mafia 2 was this chemistry between the primary character, Vito, and his fellow Joe Barbaro. That is in all probability one thing which individuals preferred and it was actually enjoyable to see the story based mostly on these two characters that works nonetheless at this time, I imagine, when folks play it.

Mafia 3

IGN: When it was determined that Mafia 3 would observe, what have been you making an attempt to attain? It adopted six years after Mafia 2, so there was an enormous quantity of improvement time there as nicely. It might be nice to get some perception into the ups and downs of that.

Alex Cox: Mafia 3 was an extended journey, and truly that did coincide with one other evolution of the studio construction as nicely. So my a part of the story, I began working on the studio as a designer at that time so I can speak as a developer for Mafia 3. We began on a model of Mafia 3 within the Czech Republic. So there was a prototype model of Mafia 3, an earlier model of the sport that in the end we shipped, that we labored on for a few years after Mafia 2. And the objective was to go rather more open world. In order that was our complete angle on it. There was a narrative. Once more, the story was rather a lot totally different than the one we in the end shipped, but it surely did contain the New Orleans setting that we in the end used for Mafia 3.

And once more, it had fairly a special design. We have been going fairly closely into the thought of story optionality, story decisions and issues like that. There was a special hero. It was rather more targeted on the Italian Mafia sort of vibe, and it was extra of a direct sequence to Mafia 2.

However that mission for one cause or one other fell on stony floor. We had some improvement challenges there, significantly on the technical facet. Our ambition began to overreach as a result of we have been nonetheless principally constructing on high of the Mafia 2 engine, and our ambitions have been beginning to overreach what we have been in a position to technically do, significantly by way of — truly discuss fairly easy improvement considerations — it was changing into more durable and more durable for us to recruit builders as a result of the tech was so idiosyncratic. Whereas a whole lot of the broad swathe of recreation improvement was shifting to middleware and standardized editors and issues like that by way of tips on how to develop, our inner expertise was changing into more and more tough to recruit.

And likewise on the time, clearly 15 years in the past, we have been requiring folks to maneuver to the Czech Republic. It was an increasing number of tough for us to recruit internationally as nicely. And that was changing into an even bigger want as a result of we would have liked to usher in expertise to assist to satisfy fashionable expectations for open-world video games. So we had varied challenges there that in the end resulted in a brand new studio being fashioned, and the studio being rebranded from 2K Czech to Hangar 13, the studio that shipped Mafia 3, and a brand new studio location being opened in California in Novato. And there was a reboot of the mission at that time. We targeted in on the New Orleans story a part of the story from the primary model of the sport, however the reboot took a considerably totally different route. And the brand new studio head who’s not with us, Haden Blackman, who was additionally the artistic chief of the mission, took over.

And in order that in the end over the course of the subsequent three or so years after that led to Mafia 3. So the identical sort of design intent, to maneuver Mafia extra in direction of an open-world format. However the story modified considerably, concerning the civil rights storyline, Lincoln Clay because the hero, the thought of the black mafia versus the Italian mafia because the enemy. All of these ideas got here in alongside an enormous shift by way of the sport design method to, as an instance, most open world, if we have been going to explain it kindly.

Roman Hladík: I believe that was the essential change throughout the improvement, that the brand new artistic thoughts behind the Mafia was Haden Blackman. However the studio, which on the time was fashioned at Novato, California, was not purely new folks coming. It was additionally lots of people shifting from Czech to the U.S. who have been then working from there. So it was a mix of authentic Mafia builders and new folks coming to California to work on Mafia 3.

Nick Baynes: And naturally the staff again in Czech continued to exist, so it was an extension of that staff, proper?

Alex Cox: Sure. And that was, once more, one other huge tradition change for the studio. The California studio introduced in an terrible lot of expertise as nicely. We had the good thing about with the ability to recruit from locations like LucasArts and others within the Bay Space. In order that introduced a whole lot of experience onto the staff, which was nice.

Mafia 3 was one other laborious improvement. And sadly, I believe our ambition, once more, was in the end what held the mission again ultimately. The excellent story, all the similar strengths because the earlier two titles. I believe Haden and the narrative staff did an ideal job in presenting this civil rights storyline, treading fairly a tightrope there of placing that on the display screen in a means that I believe most video games would shrink back from. And so we’re very happy with how that side of the mission landed. It is only a little bit of a disgrace that — I do not assume there’s any secret right here to say that the open-world components of the sport truly ended up holding it again regardless of being one thing that we might invested closely in.

However the constructive a part of that story — the sport did okay solely, commercially, critically slightly bit disappointing — however the engine, the technical side of the sport, we did handle to resolve, and our inner expertise actually acquired as much as an ideal commonplace. And that truly ultimately helped us to maneuver onto the trail we’re on now, as a result of that helped us to do Mafia: Definitive Version and the remake of Mafia, which we did a number of years later off the again of the Mafia 3 expertise. So there was a pleasant sudden profit to that after we did end that recreation.

Roman Hladík: One thing the staff in California dropped at Mafia, it was slightly bit higher set within the U.S. setting, I might say. We did Mafia in Europe, and it was at all times our stylized view of how the American cities are trying like, how the life is in these cities and the way the American mafia works. So I believe having Haden Blackman in cost and having so many designers in California, it allowed us to ship extra on what… I might say for U.S. market, it was all of the sudden not a European view of their nation. It was extra becoming the U.S. prospects, I might say. That is what occurred as nicely with Mafia 3. For the primary time we used the likeness of the actors, which was not the case in earlier Mafias.

IGN: Was the preliminary concentrate on open world a response to Mafia 2? Was it concerning the traits on the time? Why was that the large funding?

Roman Hladík: I believe it was the suggestions from 2. And to be trustworthy, for us as builders, when you’re constructing an enormous metropolis, you need to use it, you need to ship different tales, different actions inside that metropolis. And what constrained us on 2 was our potential to ship on time, I might say. So it was fairly apparent that we’re going to attempt in a greater means within the Mafia 3. And I believe it did nicely. Perhaps the actions within the open-world of Mafia 3 may be slightly bit repetitive, however I believe you possibly can spend a lot, rather more time in that recreation and benefit from the setting than it was in earlier Mafias. So sure, positively the suggestions from the gamers was the driving force.

Alex Cox: We have fairly a fractured viewers truly now. Every of the Mafia video games is considerably totally different to the others. There’s perhaps a constant core via the center of narrative-driven motion journey, however every iteration of the sport has introduced in a brand new tranche of gamers to our viewers base. And truly there are a large quantity, perhaps a extra silent variety of gamers that like Mafia 3, like that sort of, as an instance, Ubisoft type territory management type open-world that we targeted on in that recreation. And it was fairly profitable for them, significantly by way of offering numerous gameplay hours. Every thing that Roman simply talked about, that did land nicely with a large proportion of gamers. And truly of all the video games that we have shipped, Mafia 3 has reached essentially the most gamers by far. It was the most important Mafia recreation that we ever did by way of its scope, its scale, price range, its advertising and marketing, all the things, and was profitable relative to all of these elements.

And it was, I believe, a response to Mafia 2 by and enormous. Actually due to the place video games have been on the time, pushing extra open-world was seen as the best way to make the sport higher and extra profitable, definitely by everyone. There was a widespread perception that this might succeed.

IGN: Individuals do examine Mafia to GTA, rightly and wrongly. You see movies evaluating the 2 video games on a regular basis. Has the comparability to GTA change into part of the Mafia franchise, no matter whether or not you’ve gone extra open world or linear? Is {that a} factor that has factored into any pondering round what you do? Or is it simply a kind of issues that occurs on-line and is not actually reflective of the fact of the viewers that you’ve got constructed for the franchise?

Nick Baynes: I believe that genuinely on the studio, we have our personal path. It genuinely by no means ever comes up in dialog as a touchpoint or steering our technique or something like that. I believe clearly there’s a whole lot of tales about that recreation on the market proper now as a result of one thing’s popping out later this yr! However yeah, genuinely, I believe it is an web factor. It is not one thing the studio seems to be at. So I believe I am afraid there’s not a wealthy vein of solutions to offer you for that.

Mafia: Definitive Version

IGN: The Outdated Nation went again on that open-world funding once more to a extra targeted, linear recreation. It’s been out for a yr now. How do you are feeling about it, and what improvement challenges did you face?

Nick Baynes: Round 2018 is once I and Brighton enters the scene, so I am the brand new boy of eight years in comparison with these guys. However I believe it would be remiss, I believe, to go straight to The Outdated Nation with out acknowledging the significance of Mafia: Definitive Version as nicely. As a result of I believe that in case you have a look at Hangar 13 as a studio, it had gone off in a barely totally different route across the time the Brighton studio began. We have been engaged on one other recreation, however the Brighton studio was rising. We needed to ship one thing as a result of the sport we’re engaged on in the end did not ship, but it surely was fairly a big, formidable recreation. So we needed to ship one thing as a studio. We needed to search out one thing to assist develop Brighton and construct the groups and the way all of us labored collectively.

And we felt that it was an applicable time to construct on the Mafia 3 engine and do a remake of Mafia 1, which I believe truly was in all probability one of many first wave of the trendy remakes. I believe now clearly there’s a whole lot of floor up remakes which are made, however I believe once we have been doing Mafia: Definitive Version, we have been definitely one of many first ones I believe got here out of that. And that was fascinating as a result of firstly, it created this actually nice working relationship and staff construction between the UK workplace and Czech, which is the place the Mafia video games are made just about solely today. It additionally confirmed us truly the quantity of affection that got here again for that recreation by way of simply the story focus, the tough dimension of it by way of scope. And so when the studio did undergo a number of extra modifications a few years later and we have been what we needed to do with the franchise, it felt prefer it was time to — you talked earlier concerning the via line — to return to that just about to what made Mafia nice within the first place. Very tight, targeted, genuine narrative tales that basically immersed the participant. And for us, we have been going into a brand new engine. We have been going again to the origin of Mafia. It was very a lot a case of let’s ship a traditional Mafia story after which develop it from there.

And by develop it from there, what I imply can be the extra content material we labored on over the past yr by way of, once you add within the DLC and the additional free journey content material and the open-world content material which you can entry there, all of the sudden it appears like a a lot deeper package deal. That was simply so as to add that context in the course of the soar from Mafia 3 to The Outdated Nation.

Mafia: Definitive Version Screenshots