2K confirms Mafia: The Old Country will feature Sicilian voice actors in response to fan concerns

2K and Hangar 13 surprised almost everyone yesterday when they announced the next addition to the Mafia franchise. However, after launch, some found information suggesting that the game would not feature Sicilian (or Italian) voice acting in the upcoming project, despite it being set in Sicily. Thankfully, 2K has reassured fans that it will be present in the game.

Authenticity is key to the Mafia franchise and Mafia: The Old Country will feature Sicilian voice acting, in keeping with the game’s setting in 1900s Sicily. Additionally, Italian language localization will be available for both in-game UI and via subtitles.

— Mafia Game (@mafiagame) August 21, 2024

In a statement on X/Twitter, the official Mafia account confirmed that The Old Country will “offer voice acting in Sicilian.” It further confirmed what was already revealed on the Steam page: Italian localization will be available for the game’s subtitles and in-game UI.

2K and Hanagr 13 are issuing the statement to clarify, as some on the internet (particularly X/Twitter) were quick to point out that Mafia: The Old Country’s Steam listing reveals that the game will be fully voiced in six languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Czech, and Russian.

Mafia: The Old Country
> is about mafia
> takes place in Italy
> has no Italian voice actors

Please make it logical photo.twitter.com/Z2xAt7aF6p

— Kei 🌸 (@SagamiSword_) August 20, 2024

💀Listen, I’m not that picky when it comes to voice acting in video games, but why does the first game of the entire Mafia franchise set in Sicily not have Italian audio??? 💀

We do have voice actors in this country, you can’t fool me. 😒 photo.twitter.com/8njIsFdsJY

— ⛧Evi Constantine ⛪🐐 🇮🇹 Heretic Goat Vtuber⛧ (@EviConstantine) August 21, 2024

What’s interesting about the statement made by the Mafia gaming account, however, is that The Old Country will feature Sicilian, not Italian voice acting. Why is this a big deal? Sicilian is a dialect spoken in Sicily. It has its own unique vocabulary and pronunciation, among other things — a completely different language than Italian.

Mafia: The Old Country is the next installment in the franchise. Set in 1900s Sicily, Hangar 13 predicts that The Mafia: The Old Country will tell a “gruesome mafia tale.” The project is scheduled to launch sometime next year on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

2K also indicated during yesterday’s teaser reveal that the company will share more details about the game in December. While no set date was given beyond December 2024, the deep dive could take place during the 2024 Game Awards, as the annual gaming-focused awards show is typically held in December.

Taylor is a reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.