Game publisher 2K has confirmed that the heavily anticipated “Mafia III” is currently in development. 2K also started hyping up the release of the game’s very first trailer, though the company didn’t state if it would have any gameplay. So far, no details have been released regarding the platforms where the game will be available or a possible release date, though it will reportedly most likely arrive sometime next year.

The only detail on “Mafia III” is the recently posted teaser image alongside the announcement via 2K’s official Twitter account. The tweet also includes a link to a “Mafia” YouTube channel that currently has no videos on “Mafia III,” though that should change when the title is revealed at Gamescom next week.

Veteran gamers will remember the first “Mafia” game for the PC, which impressed players with its storytelling that was reminiscent of the “The Godfather” movies. Missions often involved taking on rival Mafiosi and seeing if the other members in the protagonist's organization could be trusted. These missions usually took a toll on the protagonist like Vito Scaletta in "Mafia II," who was simply trying to pay back his father’s debts but ended up getting much more involved as the game progressed.

The series has often been compared to the “Grand Theft Auto” franchise, though the game did differentiate itself through its 1920s setting and had a more serious story. Both games did give players the ability to roam around the game world and even shoot whoever they wanted, hence the comparisons.

According to GameSpot, “Mafia III” was originally intended to be a launch game for the PS4 and Xbox One, but it reportedly suffered production problems, hence the delay. Since then, there has been plenty of speculation regarding the game’s release date, but now that the trailer will be released in Gamescom 2015, it looks like fans will be getting much more concrete details then.

The “Mafia III” trailer will be revealed in Gamescom on Aug. 5 at 5 a.m. PDT/8 a.m. EDT. The game has been anticipated for quite some time now, so it will be interesting to see how it differs from its predecessors.

Mafia 3 CONFIRMED! - Inside Gaming Daily (Credit: YouTube/Machinima)