Nick Baynes says Hangar 13 does not measure Mafia against GTA and stays with story

On 17 August 2026, Hangar 13 president Nick Baynes answered comparisons between Mafia and Grand Theft Auto in an IGN interview about the franchise’s history. The argument dates to 2002, when the first Mafia arrived a year after GTA 3, and it flared again before Mafia: The Old Country shipped, against the wait for GTA 6. Baynes said the studio has its own route: GTA is not part of Hangar 13’s strategy, and he treats the current noise as an internet phenomenon rather than a target for the team. The other game is expected late this year, but the studio does not use it as a model.

Game director Alex Cox added that a shared subject — crime, cars, and guns — does not put the series in the same genre. From the first entries Mafia stayed with linear drama, while Rockstar builds sandboxes. In his account the gap has only widened, as Mafia moved further into dramatic storytelling.

The delay of GTA 6 into 2026 split the dates and kept The Old Country out of a head-on clash. The same conversation sets a compact story-led action game at $50 against a title priced from $80 and built to last a decade. Baynes made clear the studio will not leave the road it has chosen. The piece reads that as a sign the next numbered Mafia is more likely after the rush around GTA 6 fades. The full conversation is in the IGN interview.