Recently we sat down with Hangar 13 president and chief creative officer Haden Blackman to talk about remaking the original Mafia with Mafia: Definitive Edition, the technological advancements that have come from the past 18 years, and how those lovable features from the original like obeying speed limits will be presented in 2020.

“The first thing we did was sit down and look at the original and then identify what we thought was the heart of the game,” Haden Blackman tells me. “That benefited from the fact that people on the team worked on the original, and we have several folks that have worked on all three Mafia games within Hangar 13. We knew we wanted to keep the narrative spine intact, stay true to the characters, and that it was a relatively linear, narrative-driven experience.”

That bit has been a Mafia talking point for decades. Although visually dated now, at the time the sheer detail in the city of Lost Heaven created the impression that it was a game akin to GTA. With Mafia: Definitive Edition that tradition will be kept alive thanks to the incredible detail seen across the environments and characters. Bringing to light just how far we’ve come in 18 years. And by we, we mean the talented team over at Hangar 13.

“Setting it in a world that felt rich and full of atmosphere and authentic to the time-period, which was a huge part of that game, was important,” Haden continues, adding the team were also aware that recreating moments and missions would lead to some of more out-there aspects of Mafia. “We've all fallen in love with games that might have been a little rough around the edges. The police system for example, is one thing that over time as we've evolved game design, may not create today. But it’s something that we can look back on fondly. In addition to capturing some of the big, memorable set pieces, we’ve also brought back a few of the quirks too.”

Our Full Mafia: Definitive Edition Interview