The sixth installment of the GTA series, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released in 2002 and remains one of the most games in the franchise. The game is still praised for its plot to this day, but its ending left a multitude of possibilities open. With the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 likely taking place in the same setting of Vice City (based on leaked gameplay from last year), Rockstar Games’ newest title is the perfect opportunity to address these loose ends.
GTA has already generated considerable buzz among fans due to a massive GTA 6 leak back in September that included numerous videos and screenshots of an in-development build of the game. Considering how far along in development GTA 6 seems to be, it’s safe to assume that several details from the leaks will make it into the final product. While the game's story is currently under wraps, there is much speculation concerning what questions about the previous game in the same setting will be answered in GTA 6.
Characters from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Would be Completely Different in Modern Times
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's protagonist is Tommy Vercetti, a former mafia member who had just been released from prison before he was sent to Vice City by his boss Sonny Forelli to oversee a drug deal gone wrong, which kick-starts the events of the game. The ambush of Tommy’s deal brought him down a violent and treacherous path that eventually led to him being betrayed by and seizing power from several of his criminal associates until he became the crime kingpin of the city at the end of the game.
While he’s been referenced since, this was the last time Tommy Vercetti was ever seen by players and his current status is unknown. The biggest question regarding modern Vice City is whether Tommy Vercetti is still in power, and how this power and the passage of time may have changed him.
The most important aspect to keep in mind about the connections between Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and GTA 6 is the simple fact that nearly 40 years have passed in the GTA series' period piece-driven timeline between these games. This means that if Tommy Vercetti were to make an appearance in GTA 6, he would be an elderly man in his 60s or 70s, a far cry from his athletic appearance as a 35-year-old man in 1986.
Rumors suggest that GTA 6 will feature two young protagonists, a female and a male named Lucia and Jason, who are on the run from authorities after a string of heists in a modern setting. The game is said to have a 'Bonnie and Clyde' vibe, and one leaked clip showed the pair robbing a diner together with either the character switching system from GTA 5, or even a rumored GTA co-op mode expected to make an appearance in some capacity. The major differences from its predecessor are apparent, with this adventure having a totally different tone from Tommy Vercetti’s retro, betrayed ex-mobster story.
Tommy Vercetti’s Appearance in GTA 6 Could Spell Doom for the Ex-Protagonist
With Tommy Vercetti possibly remaining as the aged mob boss of GTA's Forelli crime family, the story of GTA 6 could see its protagonists coming in contact with Tommy as either his subordinates completing jobs or even his new enemies. It’s no secret that the mafia has waned in power and influence during the 21st century, so if Tommy is still around the story of GTA 6 could see him losing his grip on the city, assuming he hasn’t lost it already.
It’s easy to imagine the young and brash Lucia and Jason taking down a weakened mob force that is unable to survive in the modern era of RICO trials and reckless unorganized gangster culture, and possibly even killing Tommy Vercetti himself. It wouldn’t be the first time a new GTA protagonist took out a past playable character, as GTA 5's Trevor Phillips infamously, and controversially, killed a dishonored Johnny Klebitz of GTA 4: Lost and the Damned fame at the beginning of GTA V in a brutal example of passing the torch. It’s hard to imagine an old-school guy like Tommy Vercetti approving of female protagonist Lucia’s status as a hardened criminal, after all.
The follow-up to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, continued the stories of the fan-favorite goofballs Ken Rosenberg, Kent Paul, and Maccer and eventually gave them a happy ending in the GTA music scene. Considering their history of misfortune in the series, however, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them pop back up in Vice City as elderly men, down on their luck once again and possibly providing comic relief to GTA 6's young protagonists.
Furthermore, while the characters Lance and Vic Vance were both killed in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, their similar status as fan favorites supports the idea that they could have a lasting legacy in GTA 6. GTA's Lucia has a more fashionable and colorful style that contrasts with Jason’s more casual look, and perhaps Rockstar Games is looking to evoke the duo of Lance Vance and Tommy Vercetti, a pairing with a similarly juxtaposed style.
If Grand Theft Auto: Vice City were created today, it would likely feature the same playable character-switching mechanic that is rumored to return in the new entry. While Tommy Vercetti and any of his supporting cast would appear as senior citizens in the modern timeline, it’s hard to ignore some of the narrative subversions and parallels that connect the two games both taking place in a satirical pastiche of Miami.
With even deceased characters like Lance Vance having a potential impact on the future of his city, it can be expected that some sort of answers to questions left in the now 20+ year old Grand Theft Auto: Vice City will come to light. While players would probably love to take missions from Tommy Vercetti, they can also always count on Rockstar to create an unpredictable and intense narrative that will be remembered for decades to come.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently in development.