GTA V Multiple Protagonists Theory

[VaNilla]

GTA V Multiple Protagonists Theory

GTA V Multiple Protagonists Theory

Introduction

There's been a lot of discussion about the possibility of multiple protagonists. When the first trailer came out, everyone was sure that "Ned Luke" was the main protagonist. We seen him in lots of gameplay shots, he did the voice over for the trailer, everything seemed to fit. But we could also see the "Black Driver", and nobody knew who he was. We also seen him in plenty of gameplay shots, leading to the theory that there were multiple protagonists in the game. But nothing could be proven. When the "Transport" screens were released, we yet again seen Ned Luke, now in the seat of a jet plane. Once again, everyone was sure that he was the main protagonist. Then the "Leisure" shots were released, and we thought we seen the "Black Driver" again, this time parachuting. But it was inconclusive, as he could have just been a pedestrian. When the "Business" screenshots were released, this theory really kicked into overdrive. Once again we seen the "Black Driver" in gameplay situations, and this time it was almost certainly him. But we also saw a new character shooting at a helicopter, and nobody could quite explain who he was. Until now.

Ned Luke



As you can see, Ned Luke is the prominent protagonists portrayed by Rockstar. He did the voice over for the trailer, leading further credibility to the idea that he is the main character in the game. During the bank robbery in the trailer, Ned Luke knocks on the truck, kicks the bank door down and leads the assault inside. This suggests that he is the leader of the group.

Black Robber



Who is this guy? If you ask me, he looks a lot like the guy who was running from the police. The guy who was running from the police could well be a pedestrian, but think about it. Why focus on one pedestrian for such a long time? He even had a helicopter chasing after him, hardly seems like a random pedestrian involved in a traffic accident.

Shaved Guy



I don't think anybody knew who this guy was until the "Business" screenshots were released. If you ask me, the guy shooting the helicopter looks a lot like the guy exiting the van. And if you look at the shot of the stuntplane, they're both wearing the same clothes (click here for a closer look). If you find that inconclusive, consider that all of these guys potentially rob the bank together, and it all starts to make a lot of sense.

Black Driver



It's quite hard to spot him, but if you look closely you can see the "Black Driver" in the drivers seat of the van. With the release of the "Business" screenshots, along with evidence from the trailer, we can be damn sure that this guy is a playable character. He may even be a potential protagonist.

Story Speculation

It's important to understand that this information shouldn't be taken as fact. It is pure speculation based on the evidence that we've accumulated over the past year. But assuming that I'm correct, this is a very curious situation. Why would they all be in the van together? Here's my theory. Popular opinion suggests that GTA V is themed around the topic of money. If you look at the "V" in the GTA V logo, you can see that it's styled off the dollar bill. Potentially, money plays a major role in the story of the game. So it's interesting that in the trailer, four of our potential protagonists are together in a van, ready to rob a bank. What if the story was based around this robbery? Ned Luke's character suggests in the trailer that he wants to set up a relaxing new life in Los Santos, but of course, things don't play out as planned. What sparks this change? I think that he gets caught up in the robbery of this bank, and something goes wrong. Maybe they successfully rob the bank, or maybe something prevents that from happening. Either way, what if the story revolved around this event? I would find that very interesting, and it would be a major leap forward in story telling for Rockstar Games.

Conclusion

This is just a theory. But based on my research, I think it's highly likely that we're going to play multiple characters in GTA V. Before the trailer was released, there were rumours that the game would be set in Los Santos, and that the game would have multiple protagonists. They were right about Los Santos, maybe they're right about this. It's also important to remember that character models/textures can change over the course of development, so some of the details presented in this topic may be inaccurate. I worked on this theory over the past few hours (including the editing), hopefully it was worth it

Update: 8th November, Game Informer Cover Reveal



Looks like I was almost right! There's three protagonists instead of 4, and it doesn't look like the "Shaved Guy" is really the same person as the "ATV Guy" on the quad bike/jet ski. Something I think I was right about is this; on the Game Informer magazine cover, you can see how all three protagonists are holding bags of cash, and Ned Luke is holding a gas mask. I was clearly right about having multiple protagonists robbing the bank at the same time (or whatever building it is). Regardless, this is great news! Lets continue the discussion with this new information, how do you think the robbery ties into the story of GTA V?

[SlayerUK]

Nice analysis, I thought the same thing but couldn't figure out the shaved guy until your post and it seems plausible.

[Joshua]

Christ, Paul. You're really getting into this, huh? 

[PM]

Good job, SS. This story can possibly be in the game. Yeah, it looks like the whole story is about preparing the robbery and in the end of game you rob a bank. Well, let's wait. I hope it's coming soon.

[Mati]

Oh, good job Shadowsniper.

[Kukiel]

God hope, no! Hate multiple protagonists, makes you less concerned about ones guys live, therefore less involved into the story.

[VaNilla]

Thanks for the comments

[Beat]

I'd absolutely hate that lol

[Kukiel]

God hope, no! Hate multiple protagonists, makes you less concerned about ones guys live, therefore less involved into the story.

Holy fuck, one post from kukiel without him being drunk on forum!

Nah but, dunno what i wanna say about it. It could be multiple protagonists, or they just follow you around all the fucking time doing missions maybe

Idunno what I would do if it's true

I'm not drunk too often. Not on the forums, at least. I'm no edga.

[__JREN]

For now, the game could be anything we could never imagine.
Nice analysis tho!

[kaneda]

Nice analysis, but the signifigance of money being important in the game isn't that much of an insight - money is important in all of them. Also, there's been a heist of one kind or another in the last four instalments. I don't know about the 'Stories' games, because I haven't played those. The game being based around a bank job seems a little thin for a game like GTA.

The theory of multiple protagonists is interesting based on the information at hand, but it's all guess work. My guess (and this is just that - a guess) is that it won't have multiple protagonists initially. Like IV, there'll most likely be DLC later that will offer that, but I can't see that being in the base game. The game's always been about personal attainment, and SA (which V seems largely modelled on) was even more so. The pictures and trailer, so far, haven't given any indication that the people you're seeing in them are even the player. Maybe they're keeping the identity of the protagonist under wraps until the second trailer - who knows.

Having said that, it could turn out that you're spot on, and we'll have the GTA version of Left4Dead - online 4 player co-op. Ugh.

[Rainbow]

Won't really like this I guess. I just hope they implement more of these choice killings that affect the story like in IV when you can kill either Playboy X or .. Dominic(? forgot the name). Have like 3 of those events in the story. That way you have loads of different outcomes.

[Cocaine]

dude, i think everybody knews all the news of gta v, you dont have to make a topic and share it.

[Reaper]

Uhh.. this part of the forum is for information or discussion on GTA V   

[Paull]

Nice analysis, but I have the same opinion of dragun