Lovers of the "Mafia" video games, get your consoles ready. 2K Games officially announced a third installment to the popular gangster-themed game series after five long years of anticipation. If that is not exciting enough, an accompanying trailer is expected to drop in a matter of days.
The game developer released a promotional image for the highly anticipated third-person shooter game via Twitter.
The latest picture sees four unrecognizable figures standing before a man on his knees and a body of water, washed in car headlights under the words, Mafia III. Also, one of them appears to be a woman in a skirt -- a stark contrast to the covers of "Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven," which featured a lone gangster, as well as "Mafia II," which had four men in suits.
According to the poster, the third installment will be developed by Hangar 13, not 2K Czech, the developer behind "Mafia II."
GameSpot reported the official trailer will be released early morning on Aug. 5 at Gamescom, which is the world's largest trade fair promoting interactive games and entertainment. The event is held annually in Cologne, Germany and draws thousands to experience the best and latest in gaming, "Mafia III" included.
The "Mafia III" official website has been launched, brandishing the new promotional image. It also provided a link to its YouTube page on Twitter. For those fans who will not be at Gamescom, they will hopefully have the opportunity to receive more details -- such as which platforms the game will be available on, where to buy the game and of course, the official release date via YouTube.
The "Mafia" series started back in 2002, initially being released as a PC-only game. However, it became available on both Xbox and Playstation 2 in 2004. In "Mafia: Lost City of Heaven," the player finds themselves as a taxi driver, Thomas Angelo, who is catapulted in the world of organized crime. Set in the West Coast during the 1930s, the player is expected to try and smuggle alcohol during the prohibition while carrying out murders.
The second game, "Mafia II," was released in 2010 on Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Players will experience a whole new gang, as the setting has changed to the East Coast in the 1940s. Even so, the game still revolves around a ring of black market schemes and illegal activity.