Electronic Arts announced this morning that their Redwood Shores studio will be delivering the oft-mentioned, not-so-shooter-esque Godfather sequel early next year. Branching out from the confines of the Big Apple, The Godfather II will take players to Cuba, as well as Florida in the 1960's. The story?

After being promoted by Michael Corleone to Don of New York, players expand to new cities, as they build up their families through extorting businesses, monopolizing illegal crime rings and defeating new families in an effort to become the most powerful mob family in America.

As EA's CEO hinted at months ago, Godfather II will introduce RTS-like elements, the main one called "The Don's View," which is being dubbed a "strategy meta-game." In this new viewpoint, players can oversee the entire world, and build up and defend their business, etc. with gangs of Made Men, all while being able to watch and see what the enemy is doing at all times. As well, you can pick your own crew of goons to roll with, each specializing in a certain class ranging from demo experts, to engineers, first-aid and more. Some of your "teammates" can be sent off to complete missions while you take the frontlines and complete others with your squad. The innovative BlackHand control scheme is also returning for part 2, and will be polished up with a new combo system, deadlier attacks and even more executions. Hunter Smith, Executive Producer of The Godfather II, says:

In the 1960’s, a mafia Don was only as strong as his family. We found the hierarchical culture of organized crime intriguing. Running an organized crime family in a world defined by family loyalty is something that we felt could introduce a new strategic element to the genre. That is what the Don’s View is all about -- laying out a strategy to pick off the competition one by one. The Don’s View is so unique, it could fundamentally change the rules of open-world games by blending action and strategy to create something entirely new.

The Godfather II is in development for the PS3, 360 and PC and scheduled for a February 2009 release. The first footage of the game will air next Friday on GameTrailersTV. Announcement after the jump. 

EA and Paramount Digital Entertainment Invites Players to Run the Family Business in The Godfather II

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Paramount Digital Entertainment today revealed the first details of The Godfather® II videogame, the sequel to the 2007 multi-platinum hit. Inspired by the film and Mario Puzo’s Corleone family drama, The Godfather II game goes beyond the film’s story by setting players in the world of organized crime in 1960’s Florida, Cuba and New York.

After being promoted by Michael Corleone to Don of New York, players expand to new cities, as they build up their families through extorting businesses, monopolizing illegal crime rings and defeating new families in an effort to become the most powerful mob family in America. To help players manage their empire, The Godfather II introduces “The Don’s View” – an innovative strategy meta-game that allows players to oversee the entire world as they grow the family business. Using the Don’s View, players will be able to build, defend and expand their crime rings, while keeping an eye on the movements and plans of the rival families. Players will also learn to master the business of organized crime by building a family of Made Men, hiring crew, handing out orders, and promoting their best men up the ranks.

Set in a stunning open-world environment, The Godfather II expands on the popular gameplay mechanics of the first game and doubles down on the series’ signature BlackHand control scheme, which now features even more visceral hand-to-hand brutality at your fingertips, introducing a new combo system, pressure tactics and executions. In The Godfather II, players will fight alongside their hand-picked crew, who have their own skills and expertise. Each family member specializes in a specific field such as demolitions, arson, engineering, first-aid and more. As The Don you control the family, sending some of your men on missions while heading off into action with others. The combination of strategic organized crime gameplay and brutal BlackHand action sets The Godfather II apart from other open-world games.

“In the 1960’s, a mafia Don was only as strong as his family,” said Hunter Smith, Executive Producer of The Godfather II. “We found the hierarchical culture of organized crime intriguing. Running an organized crime family in a world defined by family loyalty is something that we felt could introduce a new strategic element to the genre. That is what the Don’s View is all about -- laying out a strategy to pick off the competition one by one. The Don’s View is so unique, it could fundamentally change the rules of open-world games by blending action and strategy to create something entirely new.”

“The Godfather has become an exceptional gaming franchise for the Studio,” states Sandi Isaacs, Senior Vice President of Interactive & Mobile for Paramount Digital Entertainment. “The videogame takes the story and gameplay to the next level with an innovative open-world action strategy that is both compelling and intriguing for gamers.”

The Godfather II will premiere exclusively on GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley on Friday, August 15^th on Spike TV. The entire episode will be dedicated to The Godfather II including behind-the-scenes with the development team, the debut of the game trailer and a first look at the game itself. The trailer will also be available on August 18^th at: http://godfather2.ea.com.

Developed at the EA Redwood Stores studio, The Godfather II will be coming to the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and PC in February 2009. The Godfather II has not been rated by the ESRB and PEGI.

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