Fans find Santa sleighing the roller coaster in GTA Online Festive Surprise cover picture

GTA Online has finally received the Christmas-themed Festive Surprise update, and fans are certainly loving it. Rockstar Games released a newswire after the update went live on December 22, 2022, around 3:30 pm IST.

The newswire was designed with a dedicated holiday theme and contained information about the gaming studio's surprises, bonuses, and events. While it is one of the most distinctively designed official documents, die-hard fans have discovered hidden references in the cover image.

GTA fans quickly began to speculate about the reference and proposed numerous theories. However, most players assumed it was a mod from the PC version of the multiplayer game. This article discusses what fans think about the reference in the cover image.

GTA Online fans discover alleged Santa Claus' reindeer ride in Festive Surprise cover picture

On December 22, 2022, Rockstar Games announced the Festive Surprise update in GTA Online via Twitter. The gaming studio shared a link to the official newswire and a cover image in the tweet.

Fans immediately noticed an Easter egg in the image and enquired about it with Rockstar. Tez2, a popular game data miner, reposted a cropped image and asked whether it was a game mod or a photo manipulation.

Another GTA data miner and modder, named Monkeypolice188, responded to Tez2's tweet and attempted to debunk what Santa's ride was made of. According to him, Rockstar Games designed the ride using one bogie from the Leviathan roller coaster and a few deer models.

While his claim appears to be credible, it is yet to be confirmed by the developers. Meanwhile, fans have also noticed the first reindeer with a red glow, which resembles Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer from legend.

While many are convinced that it is an Easter egg alluding to Santa Claus, another majority of the players also believe that it is a mod, particularly seen in GTA Online’s PC lobbies. The popular parody YouTube channel Mors Mutual Insurance asked Rockstar if it was a mod.

YouTuber TheNathanNS alleged that the cover image is a screenshot from the PC version of GTA Online.

A user named OceanBreeze72 proposed their theory that it could be an upcoming random event in the game.

The image shared by Rockstar Games was an in-game aerial shot near the Vinewood Sign. The photo was taken at night, and fans can see Santa riding in the distance in front of the mood. Behind the sign, you can also see the new MTL Brickade 6x6 truck, the Zirconium Journey 2, Dax, Luchadora, and Labrat.

The update on Thursday included many Christmas-themed events and bonuses for the game. Grand Theft Auto Online players can look around Los Santos and Blaine County for Snowmen collectibles. While doing so, keep an eye out for the Gooch, who is roaming the streets and hiding in the shadows to dim the glory of the festivities.

The game studio encourages players to destroy them to collect limited-time festive surprise rewards.

About the author

Mridul completed his post-graduation in Mass Communication, Journalism, and Media Studies. His career as a journalist began at Sportskeeda, and he has been associated with the Esports & Gaming division for over 1.5 years. He has produced 1600+ articles on Grand Theft Auto, his favorite gaming franchise of all time.

Mridul writes detailed and well-researched articles, relying solely on official sources and reputable insiders for credible information. His immense love for the GTA series shines through in his work, which resonates with readers, with five of his articles having crossed the 100,000 reads mark each. Overall, his reads count stands at close to 8 million.

GTA: Vice City served as Mridul's introduction to Rockstar Games, and he has dedicatedly made his way through the publisher's catalog since then. If given a chance, he would love to drop into the world of Bully and relive his school days. However, he would like to recommend Grand Theft Auto 4 to beginners due to the depth of its narrative and in-game mechanics.

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