Summary
With its first trailer now out and still breaking viewership records,Grand Theft Auto 6has well and truly cemented itself as one of, if not the most anticipated game of all time. Taking players back to Vice City for the first time since2006’sGTA: Vice City Storieson the PSP,Grand Theft Auto 6is already fulfilling the dreams of many long-timeGTAfans, and over the course of the next year or so, that’s hopefully only going to get truer.
Though there hasn’t been a lot of information officially released aboutGrand Theft Auto 6, it seems as though it’s shaping up to be the biggest game of Rockstar’s lengthy career, in terms of gameplay, story, and sheer technical prowess. And withGTA 6hopefully being the biggest and best entry to date, there’s also a desire among some fans to see some classic characters make their return, though that might be a bit of a double-edged sword in the long run.
Past Series Cameos In Grand Theft Auto 6 Could Be a Mixed Bag
Grand Theft Auto 6’s Setting Paves the Way for Franchise Cameos
TheGrand Theft Autofranchisehas more than dabbled in cameos in the past, andGrand Theft Auto 5in particular has set a bit of a precedent forGTA 6. InGTA 5alone, players can find cameos and references to countless past series characters, ranging from a not-so-subtle reference toGTA 4’s Niko Bellic during the game’s first heist, to multiple name-drops to various franchise characters, to full-on cameos of long-running characters like DJ Lazlow.GTA 5has paved the way for character cameos inGrand Theft Auto 6, almost as much as the sequel’s setting.
WithGTA 6taking players back to the fan-favorite setting of Vice City, many fans are expecting to see plenty of references to the 2002 classicGTA: Vice City. While references to specific map locations and world-building plot points seem pretty much guaranteed to be implemented intoGrand Theft Auto 6, it’s character cameos that many fans want to see, and there are plenty of oldVice Cityfaces who could reappear, withold protagonist Tommy Vercettibeing the most likely candidate for a cameo.
But it’s not justGrand Theft Auto: Vice Citycharacters who could appear inGTA 6. If Vice City is anything like its 2002 counterpart, thenGTA 6’s setting could be a hub for the entire US criminal underworld, attracting all sorts of sordid figures from acrossGTA’s long history. While age prohibits quite a few classic characters from appearing, just about any ofGTA 5’s main cast of characterscould appear inGTA 6.
Rockstar May Want to Keep GTA 6’s Focus on The Now
But while cameos can be some of the best forms of fan-service, they can also be an easy way to put off newcomers. FloodingGrand Theft Auto 6’s storywith multiple cameos might end up making a newcomer feel as though they’re missing out on huge chunks of the game’s story and world-building. An overreliance on cameos might also take the focus away fromGTA 6’s own original characters and their new story. While cameos are fine to use in side missions, it seems likely that Rockstar will want to keepGTA 6’s primary story focused on its two main protagonists and their own personal story.
