Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to real-life Miami after a city meeting resulted in the approval of a "discreet" – and controversial – marketing campaign.
The City of Miami Beach gave the OK for the famed game developer to bring GTA 6 to the area September 10, 2026, following a 4-3 vote in favor of the decision. The meeting saw strong arguments on both sides, with the deal promising that Rockstar will pay at least $3 million to the city as related logos and branding populate the town from October 15 – December 31.
GTA 6's Vice City setting is, of course, based on the very real Miami, Florida, and Rockstar is looking to capitalize on that. Arguments against the move touched on the violence of the Grand Theft Auto series, which, as stated by Commissioner David Suarez, allows players to "steal cars, deal drugs, commit robberies, murder civilians, and assassinate police officers."
"That's their right. They can make it, they can sell it, and they can advertise it, but that doesn't mean that the city of Miami Beach has to help them do it," Suarez argued. "We ask our police officers every day to put themselves in harm's way, protecting this community. We spend enormous resources fighting drugs, violent crime, and disorder, and we've spent over a million dollars over the past three years on a spring break marketing campaign trying to move Miami Beach away from an image of chaos and lawlessness.
"Now, we're going to take our beaches, one of the most recognizable symbols of this city, and turn them into a space for Grand Theft Auto. What kind of message are we sending to the world?"
Later, Suarez added, "I don't think that this is worth what they're offering. I don't think it's worth really anything." Commissioner Matteo-Salinas fell on the other side of the fence. Her vote to approve Rockstar's GTA 6 marketing campaign came from her desire to represent gamers – herself included.
"I play GTA," Matteo-Salinas said. "I played it in 1997 when the first game, the Vice City version, came out, and I'm going to play it again when this one comes out, and I'm not going to play the game and then go on a crime spree. That's not what this is about."
Commissioner Joseph Magazine agreed, arguing that, although "Grand Theft Auto isn't for everyone" and "there are certainly aspects of the game we likely don't want associated with the values" of Miami Beach, "we also have to deal with reality." He added, "I can walk and chew gum at the same time."
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.ign.com/articles/miami-approves-discreet-gta-6-marketing-campaign-so-the-city-can-fix-its-football-field
