It's true - 2K has confirmed Mafia: The Old Country will feature no Italian voice acting. Instead, the game will feature the option of a far more authentic Sicilian voiceover.
"Authenticity is at the heart of the Mafia franchise," the devs say on Twitter, "and Mafia: The Old Country will offer voice acting in Sicilian, inline with the game's setting in 1900s Sicily. Additionally, Italian language localization will be available for both in-game UI and via subtitles."
After a Gamescom Opening Night Live trailer featuring a hefty dose of English speakers with Italian accents, some eyebrows were raised when Mafia: The Old Country's Steam page promised no Italian voice option - instead, the page only advertised voice acting in English, French, German, Spanish, Czech, and Russian. Italian was noted as an option for interface and subtitles, but not voice acting.
Knowing now that the game features authentic Sicilian voiceover, it all makes a lot more sense. While there are similarities between Italian and Sicilian, they are categorized as distinct languages, and having a bunch of 1900s mobsters on the island speaking modern Italian probably wouldn't be altogether authentic, so it's great to see the devs at Hangar 13 going the extra mile here.
There's very little information on what to expect from Mafia: The Old Country aside from its historical setting, but we're set to get "a closer look" at the game this December. It's been eight years since the last mainline Mafia game, so series fans are certainly used to waiting.
Check out our guide to all the big upcoming video game release dates.
