Miami is getting ready to welcome its newest video game after officials approved a marketing proposal ahead of the release of Grand Theft Auto 6.
The proposal would allow the City of Miami, along with Miami Beach, to display marketing campaigns across the area.
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The plan drew backlash from authorities, who said that the game promotes a culture of violence.
“They’re shooting at a Miami Beach Police car just rolled over, and here’s another one, getting away with an AR-15 shooting them as they’re fleeing,” Commissioner David Suarez said.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set in “Vice City,” a fictional Miami that is filled with familiar South Florida landmarks and neighborhoods.
Rockstar Games reached out to Miami-Dade County about potential collaborations ahead of the game’s November release.
Now, Miami Beach and the City of Miami have reached their own deals with Rockstar.
In Miami Beach, the city manager is authorized to negotiate a marketing campaign that could appear on beaches and beach umbrellas.
“This is a way for us to control the narrative of what happens in relation to this game,” Commissioner Monica Mateo Salinas said.
Salinas said the marketing campaign could also bring millions of dollars back into the community.
Across the bridge, Miami city commissioners approved temporary banners, but with conditions.
The banners would only be allowed in the downtown area between Northeast Fifth Street, the Miami River, Biscayne Bay and Second Avenue.
Banner permits would require a fee and city approval, and they could only go up between Oct. 15 and Dec. 31.
The Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police said in part:
“While we respect creative expression and the economic impact of the entertainment industry, we cannot support using the identity of Miami-Dade County to promote a game that depicts and glorifies violence.”
There is nothing set in stone in terms of what those marketing campaigns will look like at this point.
