Image showing Niko Bellić in Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition. (Image source: Steam)According to Dan Houser, Niko Bellić could have died at the end of GTA 4. And if this would have had a big impact on the players, the idea was abandoned due to inconsistencies in the gameplay.
GTA 4 is a game that marked many people when it was released in 2008. And with good reason, because although Liberty City is often mentioned, the main character, Niko Bellić, is also responsible for this success.
Indeed, it is important to know that Niko Bellić is a protagonist with unique charisma and personality. And that’s not all, because the dark atmosphere that surrounds him has also affected players.
Thus, although Niko Bellić loses a loved one in both endings available in GTA 4, things could have been different. Dan Houser recently revealed that he wanted this character to die at the end of the game.
It was in Lex Fridman’s latest podcast that the co-founder of Rockstar Games made this revelation. And according to him, Niko Bellić’s death did not occur because of the consequences it could have had on the rest of the gameplay:
“Well, I would have liked to at the end of GTA 4 kill Niko, but you couldn’t do it. The game doesn’t work.”
The studio didn’t know how players would be able to explore Liberty City or complete the secondary missions without this character. It must be said that everything seems to be linked to Niko Bellić, and there is no doubt that his death would have disappointed and shocked many players.
However, while this didn’t happen in GTA 4, Rockstar Games decided to do this in Red Dead Redemption 2. This resulted in one of the most touching scenes in the video game industry.
Related Articles
Alexis Stegmann – Tech Writer – 362 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2025
I’ve been working in the field of web writing for several years, and I’m passionate about keeping readers up to date with the latest news on astronomy, technology, the world of video games and other exciting subjects. In particular, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a number of websites, which has enabled me to cover a wide range of subjects. In my personal life, I’m passionate about a wide range of subjects, including astronomy, video games, history and science. I’m also drawn to psychology, which is a subject that deserves greater documentation and recognition.
Alexis Stegmann, 2025-11- 2 (Update: 2025-11- 2)
