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Grand Theft Auto 6 fans have spotted a cheeky nod to Vice City protagonist Tommy Vercetti in the game's second trailer. In GTA 6's second trailer, we get a mini-montage of a day in the life of co-protagonist Jason Duvall. One key moment sees him walking into a store, slapping the cashier, and taking cash out of the register. However, Twitter user GameVerse spotted something of note. At the 33-second mark of the trailer, right as the cashier turns his head, you can see a painting of a lizard on the wall. The lizard happens to be wearing a blue floral shirt – the same one as Tommy Vercetti from GTA: Vice City. It's somewhat remarkable that this detail has largely gone unnoticed for a year, given the fact that the trailer has hundreds of millions of views and has been hyperanalyzed by fans. However, it's easy to miss since the lizard is obscured until the cashier is slapped, and it's only visible for half a second. It's also just blurry enough that if you're not really looking for it, it may not stand out. It seems like a safe bet to imagine there will be plenty of other references to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, given that the two titles share a setting.However, you probably shouldn't expect Tommy to show up in the flesh. Not only did actor Ray Liotta pass away in 2022, but Rockstar has always tried to keep the PS2-era titles separate from the other entries. In response to a fan question back in 2011, Rockstar revealed its logic behind how it separates the different universes but, of course, it could always change this if it really wanted to. The 'universes' are the worlds interpreted at different definitions, 2D, 3D and high definition, so we felt brands and radio/background characters would exist in both, but three-dimensional characters would not, said Rockstar. This is the logic (as far as it could be considered logical) behind it – so no, we don’t believe any GTA 3 characters could exist in the GTA 4 universe. GTA 6 will seemingly feature Phil Cassidy, but it doesn't appear to be the same version from the original GTA: Vice City. The new version has both of his arms, which wouldn't be possible if it were the same continuity, given that he blew his arm off in the 80s. GTA 6 will be released on November 19th, 2026, for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Pre-orders will open this Thursday, June 25th.Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

Many European consumers actively avoid American tech giants for privacy reasonsSocial media and cloud storage are priorities for consumersEU companies only have 15% of the European cloud marketFour in five European consumers say it matters whether or not businesses use European technology, confirming that digital sovereignty has now become a priority for the masses.A study by Proton of 3,000 UK, France and Germany consumers shows that they’re beginning to view a company’s digital infrastructure as part of its brand and values, rather than a back-office decision that has no impact on customers.As a result, nearly half (45%) said they would actively avoid companies that store customer data with US firms, with more concern over privacy and security than price or quality.Digital sovereignty speaks volumes to consumersThis also aligns with European Commission ‘Eurobarometer’ data revealing that three-fifths (58%) of the bloc’s citizens would be willing to switch to an EU-based digital service provider, even if that meant paying a higher fee.The report argues this reliance on US hyperscalers like AWS, Microsoft, Google and Meta can no longer be seen as a neutral business decision in the eyes of European customers, who are increasingly concerned over privacy, surveillance and geopolitical dependence.Social media (48%), email (46%), messaging apps (40%) and other services that directly handle personal communications and information were seen as the most at-risk among consumers, Proton found. Other than communications, cloud storage (38%) was another great worry, along with browsers (31%).Two in three (65%) now also believe that European small businesses should prioritize European tech providers over US ones, and not from a supporting local companies point of view. Consumers are more interested by sovereignty, keeping investments within Europe and reducing reliance on foreign tech vendors.As many as four in five (83%) now worry about society’s dependence on Big Tech and how a small number of hyperscalers now dominate the market. Attitudes have shifted rapidly, Proton says, because of deteriorating US-Europe geopolitical tensions and the continued debate over US surveillance laws which prevent vendors from being able to fully offer sovereign options.The US CLOUD Act is a specific worry for European citizens, because it allows US law enforcement to access data held by American technology companies, even if it’s stored within European data centers.Customer data use is also a growing concern, where their information may be being used to train AI models that only serve to help those US giants.The reality of US tech relianceAll of this comes amid growing US dependence, with three-quarters (74%) of publicly listed European companies relying on US tech providers, per an earlier Proton report.Google and Microsoft alone account for 84% of the global office productivity market, with Amazon, Microsoft and Google jointly taking up a 66% of the cloud market. Proton’s full report details how European providers only hold a collective 15% of the European cloud market.“Buying tech from the US used to seem like a no brainer,” Proton COO Raphael Auphan admitted, indicating an understanding of why European consumers are so deeply reliant on US software.Tariffs on European exports, NATO tensions and American criticism over EU regulation – all of which falling under Trump’s presidency – are to blame, the Swiss company says.But Auphan now describes relying on US tech as a “commercial liability” for businesses. “It's increasingly clear that consumers care about digital supply chains, and US tech is becoming a weak link.”“The EU runs on Microsoft,” Finnish MEP Aura Sally said at the 2026 Open Source Policy Summit. “The US could turn us off inside one hour.”However, an overnight migration away from US hyperscalers isn’t such an easy move, and while Proton is trying to offer some paths with the recent addition of Gmail migration with zero downtime, a full stack move could take years, buying well-funded American tech giants time to come up with more regional solutions to prevent customers from wanting to migrate in the first place.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day stars Tom Holland and Zendaya really enjoy Insomniac Games' Spider-Man games.In a recent interview with IGN Benelux, Holland and Zendaya were asked whether or not the games were used as inspiration for certain sequences in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Although they didn't really answer the question directly, they did note that they're big fans of the game. We love the games, the games are absolutely sensational, said Holland. I'm not very good at playing video games. I get very frustrated because I want to play it all by myself, and he'll try to come [help me], added Zendaya.The two then explained how Zendaya had troubles with a section in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. In the back half of the game, Mary Jane Watson gets taken over by a symbiote and turns into a villainous monster known as Scream. Zendaya noted that she had a lot of trouble with that portion in the game and, ultimately, Holland had to help her with it.This isn't the first time Holland has expressed his love for Insomniac's Spider-Man games. When promoting Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021, Holland noted that Sony gave him a PS5 to play and he really enjoyed playing it. He stated that the team even copied one move from the game and added it into the film. Fans believe that the move is when Peter flips Green Goblin through the air before slamming him back into the ground, using his webs to propel them.After seeing Holland and Zendaya's comments about the games during the Brand New Day promo, Insomniac Games extended an invitation to have the two stars come visit the studio. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen, but it would be a great way to help promote the Brand New Day suit being added to Marvel's Spider-Man 2 next month.Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into cinemas on July 31st.Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

Naughty Dog may have canceled its The Last of Us Part 2 multiplayer project, but Factions fans can now at least have a new PvP mode to look forward to… if they're on PC.Modder Speclizer uploaded 25 minutes of early gameplay for a mod they're working on that will let players go head-to-head as Abby, Ellie, and potentially other characters from the PlayStation video game series. The video kicks off with the news that, after starting development in January 2026, it's expected to launch this September.It's admittedly a bit rough around the edges in its current state but, so far, this The Last of Us Part 2 multiplayer mod seems to feature a relatively fleshed-out PvP mode. The earliest moments of the gameplay video are the most telling, highlighting a matchmaking system, maps, and loadout selections. Is it exactly what Naughty Dog may have had planned for The Last of Us Online? Probably not, and it's only coming to PC for now, but it might just help fill the hole in players' hearts.Those itching for a multiplayer spin on a classic post-apocalyptic story might also find some hints of what's to come on Speclizer's X/Twitter account. In the months since development began, they've regularly posted updates on their progress.One June 13 video, for example, features footage of school, Seattle, and gas station maps. A May update showed how their first 1v1 match played out. Other videos also show that the modder has seemingly toyed with the idea of including other playable characters (like Dina) and costumes (like Ellie's spacesuit).It's hard to say what will end up in the mod as Speclizer continues chipping away at it. For now, it at least looks like The Last of Us fans looking to revisit Naughty Dog's critically acclaimed gameplay might have something to keep them occupied this September.The PlayStation studio canceled its long-gestating multiplayer off-shoot in late 2023, promising to shift its focus to single-player games going forward. Its last all-new story, The Last of Us Part 2, launched almost exactly six years ago in June 2020. Its next, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, remains without a release date. In ramping up to full production, the massive scope of our ambition became clear, Naughty Dog said at the time of The Last of Us Online's cancelation. To release and support The Last of Us Online we’d have to put all our studio resources behind supporting post launch content for years to come, severely impacting development on future single-player games. So, we had two paths in front of us: become a solely live service games studio or continue to focus on single-player narrative games that have defined Naughty Dog’s heritage. While Speclizer works to fill the void, we may never know what the PlayStation studio had planned for its evolution on the multiplayer 'Factions' mode delivered with the original The Last of Us. Former Sony Interactive Entertainment executive Shuhei Yoshida said last year that the version of the game he was aware of was great. Vinit Agarwal, who at one time served as director for The Last of Us Part 2's multiplayer spin-off, said earlier this year that it was nearly 80% complete at the time of its cancelation.Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).