GTA 6’s takeover of real-life Miami is continuing, and in a big way, ahead of the open-world crime game’s release in November. For anyone unaware, GTA 6 takes place in Vice City, which is a stand-in for Miami, and the game also takes players to surrounding areas of its version of Florida, known as Leonida.
After the GTA 6 logo was airlifted onto Miami’s Kaseya Earlier this month to promote the game and an upcoming Miami Heat x GTA 6 crossover, Rockstar’s marketing efforts have now grown substantially. This has included a number of real-life marketing activations in the Miami area covering real cars, blimps, beach chairs, and more.
The efforts have not been without controversy. Multiple Miami-Dade County commissioners expressed serious concerns about the city taking Rockstar’s money to promote a game about violence and murder, among other … vices.
“We’re depicting Miami like a murder capital,” Commissioner René Garcia said, according to the Miami Herald. Commissioner Micky Steinberg added: “Philosophically, I feel we should not be moving forward.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and her office is hoping to bring in millions from its partnership with Rockstar to promote GTA 6 in Miami. Her chief of staff, Chris Hudtwalcker, said the GTA 6 takeovers in Miami are a “love letter” to the city.
Another lawmaker, chairman Anthony Rodriguez, said commissioners should remember GTA 6 is a work of fiction. “We are all adults in this community. We recognize it’s just a game,” he said.
“We cut our nose to spite our face,” said Chair Anthony Rodriguez, who sponsored the legislation authorizing the negotiations. He urged commissioners not to go overboard on concern for made-up plot lines and digital characters. “This is a fictional game. We are all adults in this community. … We recognize it’s just a game.”
People in Miami have reported seeing GTA-style cars on the city streets, along with a massive Vice City blimp soaring overhead. What’s more, branded beach chairs and umbrellas are being dispatched to beaches in south Florida to market GTA 6. The marketing efforts for GTA 6 go beyond Miami, of course, as people have begun to spot big ads in other major American cities like Chicago and New York.
The Miami-Dade County mayor is apparently allowed to negotiate deals under $1 million without the approval of the local commission–this is why the $975,000 Kaseya Center project went ahead without pushback.
Levine Cava is looking to make more deals with Rockstar to promote GTA 6 at the city’s airports and ship ports, along with various other places, but it remains to be seen if those will be approved.
GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S–for more, check out the newly released launch trailer, which features some steamy scenes.