Previously scheduled for a February release, the second chapter in The Godfather trilogy is now slated to hit store shelves April 7 in both North America and Europe.[blockquote2]"The Godfather II is taking the open-world genre in an entirely new direction by combining the furious combat of acting like a mobster, with the strategic gameplay of thinking like a Don," says Hunter Smith, Executive Producer for The Godfather II. "As game makers, when we looked at what lies at the heart of the Godfather universe, we discovered a game focused around organized crime. The Corleones and all the other families schemed and fought to gain access and control of different territories, so that they could control the flow of money in those areas. This underlying battle cloaked secrecy is what The Godfather II and mafia life is all about, and we wanted players to be in control as a Don and make those strategic decisions to lead their families to success." [/blockquote2]No specific reasoning behind the delay was given, though it is presumably due to marketing reasons. Company CEO John Riccitiello first dropped word of the delay during an investor meeting last week, explaining EA's decision not to release The Godfather II in February due to an overabundance of competitive titles.