During today’s quarterly call with investors, Take-Two Interactive revealed that Mafia 3 has set a 2K Games sales record by shipping more than 4.5 million copies of Mafia 3 during Mafia 3’s first week on sale. In terms of first-week sell-in, that’s more than any 2K game ever, including NBA 2K and the Borderlands and Bioshock games.
While those units were shipped to retailers and not sold to actual players, that makes Mafia 3 almost halfway to Borderlands 2 ’s sales record. With over 10 million copies sold, Borderlands 2 was the highest-selling game in 2K Games’ history.
Mafia 3 got high marks across the board for its compelling narrative and presentation, though its gameplay flaws caused some outlets to dock it points. In our review, we stated, “ Mafia 3 is an exploration of fury in its most potent form, weaving together tales of betrayal, hope, loss and vengeance. At its best, the game is a powerful examination of one’s anger and the many outcomes that can follow the single-minded pursuit of vengeance. At its worst, Mafia 3 is a dreadfully repetitive experience.”
Mafia 3 stars Lincoln Clay, a black man and Vietnam veteran from New Orleans who gets caught up with mafiosos in the racially-charged climate of the late ‘60s.
“It’s tough to take on a subject material like this and treat it realistically and sensitively,” said Strauss Zelnick, chief executive at Take-Two Interactive. “We have to be sure not to put our words in the character's mouths, but to make sure the words belong in the mouths of the characters.”
There’s DLC on the way for Mafia 3 as part of its season pass. A free-to-play mobile game, Mafia 3 Rivals , is also available on the App Store and Google Play.
Have you been enjoying your time with Mafia 3? Feel free to discuss the 2K Games recordbreaker in our comments section below.
