Not bothered by Vlad's murder, Faustin releases them and later employs Niko as a hitman. Īfter Niko kills Vlad as revenge for sleeping with Roman's longtime girlfriend Mallorie, he and Roman are kidnapped by Russian mobsters on orders of their boss Mikhail Faustin.
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Niko's professional and personal relationships expand over the course of the game, as he is introduced to more powerful and influential criminals. During this time, he also begins making criminal contacts that will eventually become important allies, such as Yardie underboss Little Jacob and car entrepreneur Brucie Kibbutz. Niko completes most of the jobs he is given with ease, as his military skills give him an advantage over the street thugs of Liberty City. In addition to working for Roman as a cab driver, Niko must protect him from loan sharks and work for Russian gangster Vlad Glebov to prevent Roman from sinking further into debt. In reality, his cousin lives in a small, decrepit apartment in the Broker district, and owes gambling debts across the city, which he struggles to pay through his unprofitable taxi service. Once in Liberty City in 2008, Niko quickly realises that Roman's stories of success were exaggerated. Niko later joined the merchant navy to flee from Bulgarin, befriended the crew of the Platypus cargo ship, and contemplated his cousin Roman's requests for him to come to Liberty City in the United States. He was able to swim to safety, but Bulgarin accused him of escaping with the money. During one smuggling run into Italy, the boat that Niko was working on sank in the Adriatic Sea. He joined a smuggling and trafficking ring run by Russian crime lord Ray Bulgarin. Knowing only violence, Niko turned to the Balkanic criminal underworld. He later learned that there are two other survivors, Florian Cravic and Darko Brevic, and vowed to search for the traitor.Īfter the war, Niko experienced difficulty leading a normal life, and his brother was killed in action. After his unit of fifteen men from his village were ambushed by the enemy, Niko escaped and concluded that the unit had been betrayed by one of their own soldiers. As a teenager, Niko participated in an unnamed war as an infantryman, tank operator, and helicopter pilot, during which he witnessed numerous atrocities which traumatised him, leading to his cynical view on life. Milica, who possesses a maternal and caring nature, regrets that her sons have been forced to endure such hardships as children, including their abusive, alcoholic father. Niko was born to Milica Bellic and an unnamed father in an unknown country in Eastern Europe. In the game it is suggested, by his cousin Roman, that Niko can speak Serbian. Following the game's release, several journalists referred to Niko as Serbian. Executive producer Sam Houser spoke on the matter saying that Niko is "from that grey part of broken-down Eastern Europe", suggesting that Niko's nationality was left intentionally vague or to the interpretation of the player. It was believed by some that he was Russian, Serbian or Croatian. Niko's nationality is never specified in the game, and has been a subject of some debate. 2.3 Searching for the traitor and further criminal ventures.For his role, Hollick won Best Performance by a Human Male at the 2008 Spike Video Game Awards. The character was well received, with many critics citing his maturity and moral ambiguity as elements that help to enhance the game's storyline. As the game's story progresses, Niko works for various prominent crime figures to this end, as well as in the hopes of finding the traitor who betrayed his unit during the war, while slowly learning to let go of his past and quest for revenge, and that attempting to leave the criminal life comes with major risks. Upon arrival, however, he discovers that those stories were large exaggerations, and attempts to improve his and Roman's financial situation, quickly becoming involved with the local criminal underworld. After becoming involved with a Russian crime syndicate and discovering that his unit was sold out to enemy forces, he decides to move to Liberty City to pursue the American Dream, inspired by the tales of luxury and riches of his cousin Roman, who had been living there for the last decade. Niko is a war veteran from Eastern Europe, where he witnessed some of the worst atrocities humans are capable of, causing him to develop a very cynical view on life. Michael Hollick provided the character's voice and motion capture. He also makes non-playable appearances in the game's episodic content The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, both released in 2009. Niko Bellic is a fictional character and the playable protagonist of Rockstar North's 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV, the sixth main installment in Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto series.