It looks like Take-Two Interactive is getting back into the crime game. The publisher applied for a trio of trademarks last month, all relating to the Mafia series, hinting at the possibility of remasters.
The first two applications are for Mafia and Mafia 2, complete with their respective logos. They released in 2002 and 2011, but Take-Two applied for trademarks again on August 2. Trademarks have to be renewed, but only every ten years, suggesting this is something different.
A third application is also for Mafia, though without the stylised logo of the original. At first I wondered if it was a sequel, sans numeral, but it has a first use date that's the same as the first game. Presumably, it's simply trademarking the word as well the stylised version. A new game seems less likely than some remasters, then.
Mafia 3 took the series in an interesting direction, briefly, but devolved into simple, repetitive missions and a tired open-world structure that netted it a lukewarm reception. Its predecessors still have plenty of admirers, though, and the original especially feels like a great candidate for a makeover.
Launched in 2002, it's from a time when the modern open-world formula had yet to solidify and the maps weren't filled with endless, suffocating diversions. Released today, it would still be pretty novel, though I'm not looking forward to following traffic laws again.
The trademark links expire, but you can search for them by name or the serial numbers: 88564619, 88564555 and 88564671.
Cheers, Segment Next.
