A helicopter spent Tuesday afternoon reducing big pink letters onto the roof of the Kaseya Center, residence of the Miami Warmth, spelling “Welcome to Vice Metropolis.” That might be fairly a shock for anybody flying into Miami Worldwide Airport who isn’t conscious of GTA VI’s approaching launch date, slated for November 19, 2026.
Noticed by the Miami Herald, by night, the poster was bolted in place, and GTA VI’s real-world advertising marketing campaign had reached its first main landmark simply two months earlier than launch.
An oblivious fee?
All of this occurred proper earlier than the county’s personal fee found out what was occurring, and its members didn’t even know in regards to the contract.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava struck a cope with Rockstar Video games, the Miami Warmth, enviornment operators, and delegated her authority to approve the poster with none votes from the 13-member Board of County Commissioners.
That’s as a result of the deal was closed at $975,000, simply $25,000 shy of the brink at which the Board of County Commissioners would have needed to vote on the matter.
A board divided
Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez and Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz had already requested the county, through an official assertion, to reject any partnerships with Rockstar Video games to advertise Grand Theft Auto VI due to the sport’s depiction of violence in opposition to cops. What’s extra fascinating is that a number of commissioners realized the deal had been signed throughout a price range listening to that ran previous 1 a.m.
Commissioner Juan Carlos and Sheriff Rosie aren’t fairly pleased in regards to the violence portrayed in GTA video games showing over Miami-Dade County. The duo is worried that this can entice unwarranted consideration to the county whereas selling a fictional setting constructed on crime and violence.
Commissioner Bermudez issued an official statement weeks earlier concerning the transformation of Miami-Dade County into Vice Metropolis, stating:
“I nonetheless can’t consider that we’re even contemplating briefly rebranding vital County property, together with Miami Worldwide Airport, as ‘Vice Metropolis Airport.’ Miami-Dade County has spent many years constructing a status as a world-class vacation spot for tourism, enterprise, funding, and alternative. We must be selling the Miami-Dade now we have labored so onerous to construct, not a fictional model of our neighborhood outlined by crime and violence.”
Sheriff Cordero-Stutz additionally commented on the time, stating:
“I consider we have to significantly contemplate the message we ship when our personal authorities promotes a fictional identification centered round a lot of those self same crimes. Miami-Dade County just isn’t Vice Metropolis.”
Regardless of their emotions, the marketing campaign appears to be right here to remain and is barely the start as Rockstar gears as much as market GTA 6 in earnest on a number of platforms.
I’m a UAE-based tech author who likes to construct and benchmark PCs each professionally and as a passion. I contribute to a number of tech publications, together with TechRadar and Notebookcheck, in addition to Sport Rant, the place I focus totally on information, commerce, and shopping for guides. Once I’m not scouring the web for the newest in tech tales, you will discover me taking part in a sport of Civilization or DotA with pals and frenemies alike whereas dropping suggestions for Apple TV+’s Basis to everybody I come throughout.