With the start of the $80 video game, gamers point to the Mafia: Old Country and Claire Masked: Expedition 33, and hope the $50 trend succeeds
Blog Andrew Joseph 10 May , 2025 0

Mafia: Old Country This week is in “Management Expectation Mode”, announcing $49.99 cheaper than expected, and confirming that it is definitely no An open world game, not a linear, narrative-driven game.
Hangar 13 developed gangster shooters showcase new gameplay in the trailer below, which is really impressive. But this is not GTA 6. Indeed, this is not Freeviia II III. “We think there are a lot of listeners that are causing people to catch engaging stories that don't require a huge commitment of time,” said 2K President David Ismailer of the Mafia. It feels like a PSA, not a promotion.
According to these comments, the Mafia: The old country will be a relatively short matter. There is no multiplayer mode, so the story is the entire package. How long will it take? Some people guess five to 15 hours.
Yes, there are some complaints throughout the internet, mainly from those who want to be shorter in unknown styles than A’s, compared to GTA’s mafia games. But this old country would never be that kind of game.
In December, I Interview Hangar 13 President Nick Baynes and Game Director Alex Coxand the prospect of competing with the GTA 6, which will still expire in the fall of 2025.
In the interview, the two dismissed the comparison with GTA 6 and insisted that the Mafia: The old country should not be regarded as an open world game at all.
Instead, the two explained that the Mafia: The old country is more like Mafia 1 and 2 than the open world Mafia 3. This is a “linear, narratively driven” game, a “focused packaging” that provides a “movie experience.” You might find yourself surrounding the real representation of Sicily in the 1900s in the Mafia: the Old Country, and even riding on horseback, a bit like other rock star games, Red Death Redemption 2, but the similarities to the rock star games stop there too.
So despite the inevitable complaints about the scope of the old country, I have seen the enthusiasm for the experience provided. Many say they are more interested in high-quality, cheaper, shorter story-driven mafia games than an open-world game full of repetitive mechanics.
Indeed, there seems to be more and more appeals, Clear and obscure: Adventure 33despite being available on the gaming pass, has sold an impressive 2 million copies in the potential trend range.
This is because the game is getting more expensive, with Nintendo and Microsoft reaching $80. On the market, the Mario Kart world costs $80, and it's a $50 mafia: the old country looks like a bargaining.
“I think setting the price at $50 is the move,” IGN Reader BabyGroot1 responded to Mafia News. “Look at Claire covering up the sales.”
“Yes, I think there might be a lot of fenced stuff that can see $70-80 and wait for the game to sell around,” Automating_the_game added. “But for $50 they're like F***, and now get it.”
This is a similar sentiment on social media and Reddit. “I hate putting things on numbers, but if it's one of the good games like 10-12 hours, I feel like we have to support it as best as possible,” Mafia's 99dge says. “The $50 publisher pays $80 for a price that is so fascinating that we need to reward and vote with our wallets if it’s worth it (of course, we can afford it given the economic climate).
“I might not have done it on me at most open world games, but hearing it is linear, with a story-focused price of $50? I'm on the boat right now.”
“I would rather have a short-lived mafia game at $50 than have an unnecessary empty open world like all mafia games before, doing almost nothing.”
“If they don’t want to add side quests or side Activities for you to do this, you can also keep it short and linear.”
For all this enthusiasm online, for publisher 2K and developer hangar 13, this will be Sales volume Mafia: The old country that determines its franchise's future. The game will have a sales target to make the project declared successful and social media and forum posts will not generate revenue. Hard sales are indeed the case.
Everyone will focus on the Mafia: Ancient Country to see if Claire’s success is really the beginning of sustainable development of the video game industry.
Wesley is the UK news editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter via @wyp100. You can reach Wesley via [email protected] or secretly visit [email protected].