It’s also not clear if this situation is caused by problems on the developers’ side, or if it’s the publisher’s fault. Most people are leaning towards the latter option, which is understandable considering some things we’ve seen in the past.
It wouldn’t be the first time an otherwise good game gets ruined by being mishandled by its publisher, but hopefully this won’t be the case with “Mafia 3”. With all the work the developers have put into it (at least evidenced by the trailers we’ve seen so far), it would be a shame for this title to get swept under the rug and fade into obscurity.
Same goes for the franchise as a whole, as it should still have a lot of potential after “Mafia 3” if things are handled right. Unlike some other modern franchises, it’s not even really constrained by its setting and timeline.
Some players have even described their hopes for a modern-themed “Mafia” game, although it’s questionable how good this would be, considering it sounds like a “GTA” clone. We never know what the industry might see in the next years though, and what kinds of trends could get established. It’s one of the most rapidly evolving and changing industries right now, not just in the entertainment sector but as a whole.