In past years, players have capped off mafioso dons as Claude Speed in GTAIII, bought up waterfront property as Tommy Vercetti in the "Scarface" simulator Vice CIty, and took over Los Santos as Carl Johnson in San Andreas. With a new GTA title well on the way, and the setting once again Los Santos, rumors abounded of the possibility of some of Grand Theft Auto's more famous faces popping up. But in the past is exactly where those characters will stay.
Among the bevy of features we learned Game Informer magazine's massive Grand Theft Auto V feature was the fact that, despite the new game's return to Los Santos, no past GTA characters will be seen in the new game. According to Rockstar chief Dan Houser:
"The five PS2 games are one universe, and this is the high definition universe, so they don't co-exist. You wouldn't ever see CJ or Tommy Vercetti. They would be like mythical characters in this world who never existed."
There it is. No Tommy Vercetti, no Claude Speed, no CJ, no, no, no.
However, Houser did reveal that we may see some familiar faces from GTA IV and Episodes from Liberty City, just not everyone's favorite human trafficker, Niko Bellic.
So while rapper The Game has already confirmed his return to the series, it won't be as B Dup. While this move may be a letdown to fans, it does provide gamers the chance to get to know GTAV's new protagonists (and antagonist), Michael, Franklin, and Trevor.
Despite the lack of popular characters, GTAV will still feature some familiar options seen in past titles: Limited customization options, TV watching, and a LOT for gamers to do on the side - missions, activities, etc.
Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V will release worldwide in the spring of 2013 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A Wii U and PC versions have not yet been announced, though a petition is circling to bring the game to PC.
