2K Games confirms Mafia: The Old Country will have Sicilian voice acting after some confusion

(Image credit: Hangar 13)

2K Games and Hangar 13 have confirmed that Mafia: The Old Country will have Sicilian voice acting after fans notice the absence of an Italian dub option on Steam.

For the final, surprise announcement at Gamescom Opening Night Live, it was announced that the next game in the Mafia series, Mafia: The Old Country, in now in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S and will launch in 2025.

Although we only received a short cinematic teaser trailer, the game is now available to wishlist on its respective stores.

Soon after the reveal, however, some fans found additional information on the Steam page that suggested that the game wouldn't feature an Italian audio option, despite its Italian roots.

Instead the page lists six available languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Czech, and Russian, but does feature Italian subtitle and interface options.

"Listen, I ain't very picky with voice acting in video games but why the first game of the whole Mafia franchise to be set in Sicily has no Italian audio?" one user wrote.

Mafia: The Old Country> is about mafia> is set in Italy> doesn’t have Italian voice actingMake it make sense please pic.twitter.com/Z2xAt7aF6pAugust 20, 2024

Luckily, 2K Games and Hangar 13 have now offered some insight into the matter in a new statement shared on X / Twitter, explaining that The Old Country will include the Sicilian dialect authentic to the game's 1990s Sicily setting, not Italian voice acting.

"Authenticity is at the heart of the Mafia franchise, and Mafia: The Old Country will offer voice acting in Sicilian, in line with the game's setting in 1900s Sicily," the post reads. "Additionally, Italian language localization will be available for both in-game UI and via subtitles."

Mafia: The Old Country doesn't have a release date just yet, but Hangar 13 has promised an additional look at the game in December. We've also received a brief description of what the next installment will be about:

"Uncover the origins of organized crime in Mafia: The Old Country, a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily," it reads.

"Fight to survive in this dangerous and unforgiving era, with action brought to life by the authentic realism and rich storytelling that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for."