Mafia: the Old Country (PS5/PC) Lighting
Owned the lighting for key missions, including HDRi skies and supporting assets while building tools and systems that streamlined the lighting team’s workflow.
Mafia: the Old Country set in early 1900s Sicily, following the protagonist from the darkness of the sulphur mines to the glittering lights of the city.
I’ve been part of the project since its earliest stages, collaborating closely with the Art Director and Lighting Lead to define and refine the game’s lighting language. My focus was on the locations (gameplay) lighting.
An early benchmark that set the standard for quality and consistency of lighting, holding up as a key reference until the very end
The player is emerging from the mines into the open air for the first time; I aimed to contrast the purity of the sky with the grim reality on the ground
Aimed to create a slightly surreal atmosphere in the crypt while maintaining full combat readability
Lumen global Illumination alone wasn’t enough, so a variety of techniques were required to create believable daytime interior lighting
Carefully selected sun angle and localised volumetric dust used, along with other techniques, to convey the speed and excitement of the early car race
This mission served as a benchmark for our nighttime lighting; I focused on playability and used aerial perspective to separate shapes
Created this sky as a part of a set featuring smooth time of day transition
The opening of the Opera mission, a crescendo of the game and the largest section I was responsible for
Closed to the public, this space relies on restrained lighting to set the tone and emphasise the obstacle ahead
Rendered a postcard‑like Sicilian sky, exaggerating the blue fog to evoke the freshness of sea air and the feeling of a perfect day
Managed contrast to maintain clarity while delivering the required tone: dense air of the Opera auditorium just before the assassination
After multiple iterations, this weather was refined to preserve contrast within a diffuse lighting setup; various types of volumetric fog were placed throughout the mission to complete the atmosphere
Used careful light placement and volumetric fog to guide the player through this visually complex area, setting up a contrast with the foggy daylight outside
In Mafia: the Old Country I focused on gameplay lighting: guiding players, maintaining clarity in complex scenarios and taming Lumen issues with bespoke solutions.
Huge thanks to my lighting lead, peers, the environment team at Hangar 13 Brighton.