Fans of the Mafia series are used to long waits between games, with players sitting through an 8 year gap between the original title and Mafia 2. The sophomore Mafia game only received middling reviews upon release, however, with critics stating that the game delivered a spellbinding story that did not quite gel with the gameplay on offer. Many were left hoping that Mafia 3 would deliver upon the promise of the first two games, giving fans a well-rounded instalment at last.

That was, of course, if the game was set to be released at all. Although there were many rumors rumbling about behind-the-scenes work, including a Take-Two Interactive casting call giving descriptions of characters fitting with the series, there was no official announcement of Mafia 3. Now, it looks like the franchise's fans will finally be getting the news that they so desperately want.

According to an update from 2K Games UK's official Twitter profile, Mafia 3 is going to be officially revealed next week, on Wednesday August 5. The news will be released along with an announcement trailer - although, as some have pointed out, the effect of an announcement trailer will be dampened by this early unveiling. Given that the current trailer release date coincides with Gamescom, more news is expected then.

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The news matches up with previous reports of when the game would be released, with Mafia 2 voice actor Rick Pasqualone telling fans to expect a Mafia-related announcement in 2015. Gamers will no doubt be hoping that the relatively quick turnaround (by Mafia standards, at least) will help to give a more cohesive product in the form of Mafia 3. After all, many believe that Mafia 2 may have been hindered by its incredibly long development cycle.

There have been some major changes behind the scenes between Mafia 2 and Mafia 3, however - most importantly that the series has changed hands to an entirely new developer. Whilst Mafia and Mafia 2, which was recently available through the Games With Gold scheme for Xbox 360 players, were developed by 2K Czech, formerly known as Illusion Softworks, Mafia 3 is being created by Hangar 13, a 2K studio run by LucasArts veteran Haden Blackman.

Just what this will mean for the title remains to be seen, and fans will be hoping that Hangar 13 keeps the series' iconic voice and storytelling elements whilst improving some of the areas in which Mafia 2 disappointed, such as improved gameplay mechanics and an immersive in-game world. Although details are still scant on the ground at this moment in time, including a release date or gameplay and story elements, there will no doubt be more news coming very soon.

Source: 2K UK Twitter