Emma Rosemurgey
Grand Theft Auto fans have been left divided over the fate of an iconic character in the franchise, after the actor who voiced him made a surprise return to social media.
Michael Hollick voiced GTA 4's main protagonist Niko Bellic more than 17 years ago and he recently made a surprise appearance on Cameo, offering fans the chance to buy personalised videos of him voicing the character.
As a result, many fans have now been left questioning whether the timing of his reappearance could be a subtle hint for the return of Niko in the eagerly anticipated GTA 6.
As anyone who played GTA 4 will know, Niko grew up in Yugoslavia where he served in the war, before moving to the fictional city of Liberty City in pursuit of the American dream.
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However, when he realises it's not all its cracked up to be, he falls back into a life of crime woking as a hired gun in an organised crime syndicate.
The last time we heard from Niko was in the GTA 4 DLC released in 2009, The Ballad of Gay Tony, but fans are utterly convinced we haven't seen the last of him, despite him not appearing in GTA 5.
Taking to Reddit, one fan suggested: "I wonder if Niko's absence in GTA 5 is because he goes on a vacaion with Roman in Vice City. Could this mean Roman will appear in GTA 6?"
However, those who played GTA 4 will know that Niko's annoying cousin Roman was killed off in millions of people's games, so it's unlikely he'll be resurrected.
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“I would attribute his absence in GTA 5 to be the fact that the game takes place in a completely different city, but that's just me,” another Reddit user suggested.
Meanwhile, a third wrote: "Lester was hinting to Michael about Niko when planning the jewellery heist, but also says, “nah, he went quiet.' It means Niko is currently leading a normal life by leaving his criminal activity behind."
Taking to Cameo, Hollick told fans: "I have avoided social media for a long time but you fans are relentless so here I am," before going on to offer impressions of Niko or Scar from the Lion King.
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While lots of fans are convinced, others have reservations after Hollick spoke publicly against Rockstar for allegedly paying him 'too late,' adding that he and the video game publisher had 'too many disagreements.'