Mafia III PC Launch Hit With Complaints Over Locked Frame Rate, 2K Issues Statement

Hangar 13 and 2K Games’ Mafia III is out today on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, and while critic reviews are still forthcoming, a large portion of those that decided to stay up and download the action-adventure at zero hour via Steam aren’t particularly impressed with their purchase, it seems.

A quick cursory glance over early user reviews on the game’s Steam page reveals a rather large amount of negative reviews in regards to an apparent frame rate lock which restricts Mafia III from running above 30fps. What’s more, complaints about crashes and low visual quality seem to be a prevailing theme.

It appears the outcry has come to the attention of 2K, who has issued a statement on its website.

We know how important having options that best suit your PC’s performance capabilities are. The team has been hard at work ensuring that Mafia III’s performance is consistent across all platforms, and right now the game runs at a solid 30 frames-per-second. We are currently working on an update for PC that will give players the option to play Mafia III at higher framerates. We’ll share more details about the update, and when you can expect it to arrive, very soon. In the meantime, the team welcomes feedback and would like to hear from you about what performance adjustment options are important to you. We’re actively considering a number of additional post-launch improvements on PC that would give players more control over how they can tailor the game’s experience to suit their rig’s performance. It’s been an incredible journey developing Mafia III and we couldn’t be more excited to get the game in your hands and hear what you think!

That 2K has addressed player criticisms so quickly after release is admirable, but if it’s possible for Mafia III to run on PC at 60 fps, one has to wonder why the publisher didn’t give developer Hangar 13 more time to include the option prior to release. Of course, if the title does run at a “solid 30 frames-per-second,” is it necessary to do so? After all, console versions are locked at 30fps and neither the Xbox One or PS4 versions are receiving the same negative attention.

As for aesthetics, Mafia III won’t be winning any awards for its visual fidelity, but it certainly doesn’t look bad from what we’ve seen from pre-release trailers.

Assuming you’re not fazed by the above, you can pick up Mafia III right now.