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Now that GTA 6‘s first trailer has finally (and I do want to emphasize “finally“) been released, it’s time to start overanalyzing the hell out of that trailer until Rockstar is kind enough to share another. Well, many GTA fans have already started doing just that, and the early results have yielded a surprising number of Easter eggs, secrets, and hidden details you may not spot on your first…several…dozen watches.
We’re obviously here to discuss some of the more notable trailer discoveries thus far, but if you haven’t seen that trailer yet (or just want to be able to reference it as you read this article), you’ll find it embedded below.
The Tom Petty Song Connections
In case you’re wondering, the song featured in the GTA 6 trailer is Tom Petty’s “Love is a Long Road.” The popular theory at the moment is that the song was probably chosen as a reference to the love story between GTA 6 protagonist Lucia and her as-of-yet-unnamed partner in crime. Of course, some also see it as a bit of a wink towards the long, long wait for the GTA 6 trailer.
However, the connections run a little deeper than that. Not only is Petty a Florida native (the very state that GTA 6 is thoroughly parodying), but the operators of the Tom Petty Twitter account suggested that the late singer was previously thrilled to contribute “Running Down a Dream” to the GTA: San Andreas soundtrack and would have loved to see this song featured on the GTA 6 soundtrack. Granted, there’s always room for…embellishment when it comes to those who manage the accounts of deceased celebrities, but it’s at least nice to think that Petty would have gotten a thrill out of this reveal.
Not enough Petty love for you? Take a look at the shot at the end of the trailer around the 1:17 mark. On the door, you’ll see a rainbow-colored sticker that says “Petty Forever.”
Those “Random” Citizen Shots Aren’t So Random
Many who follow the seemingly endless parade of absurd stories from the state of Florida have pointed out that much of GTA 6’s reveal trailer actually consists of references to real-life Florida events that previously went viral. Those include (but are not limited to) the Florida Joker, the man watering his lawn in a thong, the alligator in the convenience store, and the woman twerking on top of a car. You can find a helpful collage of all of those references and their real-life inspirations right here.
Cute callbacks aside, the presence of those references does seemingly allow us to split the trailer into a few distinct parts: callbacks, environment shots, and in-game plot sequences. So, those scenes of Lucia and her partner and some of the other cutaways to characters that don’t reference a specific Florida event may very well showcase characters more unique and important to GTA 6.
The Many Locations That Were (and Weren’t) In Vice City
While the GTA 6 trailer is loaded with Vice City callbacks (including a brief glimpse of the Ocean View Hotel where Tommy Vercetti once stayed), one of the most interesting shots in the trailer concerned a location that wasn’t in Vice City.
When that in-development gameplay footage of GTA 6 leaked last year, some fans noticed Lucia swimming near a location that looked a lot like the Seven Mile Bridge that connects Miami and mainland Florida to the string of islands known as the Florida Keys. Well, way back when, it was rumored that Rockstar wanted to feature that bridge and the Florida Keys in 2002’s Vice City but was unable to do so due to time, budget, and technical limitations. Now, it seems like the team will finally get the chance to bring that area to the GTA universe. Renewed opportunities aside, that shot of the Seven Mile Bridge is one of many shots in that trailer that strongly suggest the GTA 6 map will be massive.
Our First Stunt Jump Location?
Sticking with that shot of the Florida Keys bridge for just a moment, take a look at the angle of the bridge that is shown at the 0:36 mark of the trailer. On the right, you’ll notice that part of the bridge is unfinished.
While that’s true to life, the way that unfinished bridge forms a “ramp” that leads to a nearby dirt road feels like more of a GTA invention. Is that our first look at one of the game’s many stunt jump locations?
Lucia’s Ankle Bracelet
Though not technically part of the trailer (unless you count the preview’s thumbnail), Rockstar did release an interesting piece of GTA 6 art alongside their press release for the trailer’s debut. Interestingly enough, that art clearly features co-protagonist Lucia wearing a court-issued ankle monitor bracelet.
That seems to suggest the scenes we see of Lucia at the beginning of the trailer are set at the start of the GTA 6 campaign before Lucia is presumably released on parole. However, that detail also strongly implies that Lucia’s movements may be restricted at the start of the game. That makes sense given that previous Rockstar games (including early GTA titles) have imposed similar movement restrictions during the early parts of the campaign that prevent you from seeing everything right away. In this particular case, it looks like players may have to make their escape to Vice City and the rest of the GTA 6 map later in the adventure.
The “Scarface Building”
Also featured in the above-mentioned artwork is a small building with three round windows located next to the Atlantic Hotel. More than just a reference to a real-life Miami location, that is actually the building where Tony Montana famously confronted the chainsaw-wielding goons in Scarface. We expect this to be just one of many Scarface references in GTA 6.
Sharks and Dolphins
While the dog featured in the GTA 6 trailer (protect it at all costs) is currently garnering a lot of attention, it’s interesting to see just how much wildlife is featured in the entire preview. It looks like GTA 6 may even try to challenge RDR 2 when it comes to its overall collection of animals, which is impressive when you consider that RDR was set in a much more untamed location bristling with wildlife.
However, two of the most interesting creatures featured in the GTA 6 trailer are also the easiest to miss. At around the 10-second mark of the trailer, we see an overview shot of the ocean just outside of Vice City. Well, that shot includes not just a group of dolphins but what certainly seems to be a shark. Stay careful out there, kids.
The New and Returning Vehicles
GTA 6’s numerous vehicles seemingly include everything from helicopters and yachts to airboats and monster trucks. While many of the vehicles shown in the game’s debut trailer appeared to be new, some were clearly new versions of vehicle types we’ve previously seen in other GTA games. Here are some of the returning vehicle types that fans have spotted thus far:
Cheetah
Vapid Stanier
Bravado Buffalo
Imponte Runner
Karin Futo
Bravado Banshee
Schyster PMP
Pegassi Speeder
Dinka Verus
Gauntlet Hellfire
Sabre Turbo
Comet
Liberator
Maverick
Dodo
Sea Sparrow
Obey Tailgater
Oceanic
Croquette D10
Of course, that list just scratches the surface. The bigger takeaway may be that GTA 6’s collection of vehicles is shaping up to be the largest in the franchise’s history.
The Mysterious Town of Hamlet
During a memorable GTA 6 trailer scene featuring a Leonida woman wielding two hammers, there is a social media caption at the bottom of the screen that reads “Neighborhood watch don’t play around in Hamlet.” That certainly seems to imply that there is a town on the GTA 6 map named Hamlet.
So…where is Hamlet? Well, the real-life version of that hammer lady incident actually took place in a suburb of Los Angeles called Chatsworth, which is…interesting given that GTA 5 took place in a fictional version of L.A. More likely, though, Hamlet is just a stand-in for some fictional Florida town located somewhere around Miami. For what it’s worth, some leakers have suggested that Hamlet is located just south of Vice City and includes a military base.
Nine1Nine Banner
Early in the GTA 6 trailer, we see a seaplane carrying a banner that reads “Nine1Nine: Why Sixty Nine WHen you Can Nine 1 Nine?” More than just confirmation that Rockstar has not abandoned GTA’s sense of humor, that banner is seemingly a reference to Miamis E11EVEN Club.
So, it seems safe to assume that we’ll see a version of that club in the game (and may have even gotten a peek at it during one of those nightclub scenes in the trailer).
So Many Vehicle Customization Stickers
The GTA 6 trailer not only teased a massive collection of vehicles, but many of those vehicles featured window stickers for fake businesses like “Vice Vinyl.” Actually, it seems like the majority of cars and trucks prominently featured in the trailer seemingly boasted similar stickers from similar shops.
While it was always easy to assume that you’ll be able to customize your vehicles in GTA 6, the sheer number of car customization stickers we see in the trailer already suggests that vehicle customization will play a much bigger role in GTA 6 than it did in the base version of GTA 5.
Is That Lucia?
The GTA 6 community is currently locked in a debate over that shot of a woman in a white bikini that pops up around the 0:38 mark of the trailer. See, some fans couldn’t help but notice that the bikini-clad woman looks a lot like Lucia. She even has two of the more prominent moles/birthmarks we clearly see on Lucia’s face at the start of the trailer.
If we assume for a moment that is Lucia, then we’re either looking at some kind of flashback sequence that shows her life before her incarceration or we’re looking at a version of Lucia that could exist once players have progressed through the game and improved her lifestyle a bit. Personally, though, I think those are actually two different characters.
The Vintage Car Outside of Boardwalk
Look very closely at the shot of Vice City’s streets around the 0:33 mark of the trailer and you may spot a vintage yellow and white car. Well, that appears to be a reference to the classic car that is parked outside of Miami’s Avalon hotel. In this instance, it appears that the fictional Boardwalk hotel is standing in for the Avalon in GTA 6’s version of Vice City.
Did you spot any interesting Easter eggs or secrets in the GTA 6 trailer? Be sure to share them in the comments below.
The post The GTA 6 Trailer’s Best Easter Eggs and Hidden Details appeared first on Den of Geek.
