gamescom 2015: Mafia III Tackles Serious Subjects in 1960s New Orleans

Chances are, when you think about what a mob story entails, plenty of familiar organized crime tropes pop into your head. But it’s not all just Tommy guns, wise guys, sleeping with the fishes, making offers that people can’t refuse, or everything else Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola’s movies taught us. Next year, 2K Games and developer Hangar 13 are bringing us Mafia III – and adding a refreshing dose of reality to all those stereotypes.

Mafia III is set in 1968 (which development lead Haden Blackman calls “one of the most tumultuous years” in American history) and stars a mixed-race Vietnam veteran named Lincoln Clay. It’s not shy about tackling the racism and violence that Clay encounters during his time in the military or on the war-torn streets of New Orleans, either – this is a serious story with serious themes.

If the new announcement trailer is any indication, Mafia III centers on the concept of family, and Clay’s search for somewhere to belong. “Family isn’t who you’re born with…” he tells a captive rival, “…it’s who you’d die for.” This being the Louisiana Bayou, that likely means this unfortunate man won’t sleep with the fishes, but something much worse.

Mafia III arrives on Xbox One and Windows PC in 2016, and so far, it’s looking pretty… well, gangster.