An unlockable jacket added in with the latest GTA Online content drop has some fans seeing a connection between them as of yet unannounced GTA VI and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Fans of Grand Theft Auto have been speculating about the next entry in the franchise for some time now, even if Rockstar seems to be in no rush to deliver a sequel. Part of that is due to GTA Online, the online component that has ensured that Grand Theft Auto V has remained on top sellers lists for more than an entire console generation. Those who have worked on the company have said that work is being done on a sequel, but it's nowhere near ready for primetime.
Of all the potential locations for the next Grand Theft Auto to land when it is ready, a popular theory involves a return trip to Vice City. Nostalgia for the 1980s never seems to go away, and Vice City was one of the most popular games of the PlayStation 2 era. Not only are those that played the game in its heyday eager to return to that era of gaming, but a whole new generation of players has been raised on synth music and classic franchises, so the potential audience for another game recalling the neon-tinged classic is quite large.
Despite the want for a sequel, GTA Online continues to get significant expansions, but one of them included a hint towards what could be coming down the line. As pointed out on the GTA VI subreddit, user Fabry06 pointed out that a jacket that's rewarded for the Cayo Perico heist makes direct reference to things in the 2002 classic. The back of the jack has a Latin phrase meaning "pulverize the enemy," and that same phrase is seen across all GTA games set in Vice City as well as once in San Andreas to nod at that game's prequel.
It's possible, and even likely, that the phrase was simply included as a nod to the franchise's past, but developers will often include references to past games that are in their collective consciousness. If a new game set in Vice City is in the works, it would make sense that the developers might include a reference to the game simply because they've been pouring over the old work in order to recreate it on new technology. So, even if the game isn't anywhere near complete, it could be a hint that there's a next-gen Vice City in the works on a hard drive somewhere in Edinburgh.
The release of the next Grand Theft Auto game will be interesting simply because of the existence and continued success of GTA Online. From Phantasy Star to The Elder Scrolls, many franchises have ventured into the world of online games and then found it hard to their single-player roots. Once a developer has players willing to buy into a drip-feed of new content on an old game for years and years, it's hard to justify pressing pause and creating a massive new game from scratch. There will almost certainly be a Grand Theft Auto VI at some point in the future, but it's tough to say if it will build on top of Rockstar's gargantuan open-world success stories or lean more towards the live service side of things.
Source: Reddit