E3 2019: Empire of Sin Is a Mafia Sim from John and Brenda Romero

Empire of Sin, the latest project from Romero Games, was a surprise inclusion in Nintendo’s E3 2019 Direct.

The brand new game from legendary game designer John Romero (DOOM, Quake, Wolfenstein 3D) and Brenda Romero, is a top-down strategy game set in the world of 1920s organised crime. Think XCOM, but with more fedoras and less aliens.

As reported in a preview by Polygon, Empire of Sin is a turn-based strategy game where gangsters compete for territory within Prohibition-era Chicago. The game will give you the chance to play as one of fourteen crime bosses, made up of real historical characters like Al Capone, or era-specific archetypes.

As with all games like this, strategy is your key to winning. This is true for the urban battlefields, but also for conversations. Dialogue trees let you interact with your rivals however you like, allowing you to keep your friends close but your enemies closer.

Sorry, we couldn’t resist.

Empire of Sin will release in 2020 for PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PS4.