Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto VI is likely to be one of the biggest media launches in history. Some Miami-Dade County officials want to capitalize on the craze, but others believe the violent video game is a bad image for Miami.
Miami-Dade Commissioner JC Bermudez and Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz came spoke out Thursday in opposition to the county's proposed plans to rename parts of Miami International Airport to "Vice City Airport," a nod to GTA VI's fictionalized city that is largely based on Miami.
“I still cannot believe that we are even considering temporarily rebranding important County assets, including Miami International Airport, as ‘Vice City Airport,'" Bermudez said in a joint statement with Cordero-Stutz. "We should be promoting the Miami-Dade we have worked so hard to build, not a fictional version of our community defined by crime and violence.”
The opposition comes on the heels of reports that Mayor Daniella Levine Cava's administration met with Rockstar Games to propose pop-up homages to Vice City throughout the county ahead of the game's highly-anticipated Nov. 19 release date. Other activations would include Vice City branded Metromover trains in downtown Miami, as well as GTA-themed manhole covers.
Cordero-Stutz called on top county officials to reject the proposal.
“Grand Theft Auto is a video game franchise built around criminal activity," she said in the joint statement with Bermudez.
"Its fictional world includes murder, robbery, drug trafficking, carjacking, violence against law enforcement, and other conduct that the men and women of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office work every single day to prevent," Cordero-Stutz said.
"At a time when law enforcement is working every day to reduce violent crime, prevent robberies and car thefts, combat drug trafficking, and build stronger relationships between our deputies and the communities we serve, I believe we need to seriously consider the message we send when our own government promotes a fictional identity centered around many of those same crimes," she added.
The previous game in the series, GTA V, is one of the highest-grossing media properties of all time, netting 230 million units sold and more than $7 billion in revenue. The GTA series is known for its interactive open worlds where players are able to commit crimes and engage in shootouts in fictionalized cityscapes.
Miami-Dade's proposals have not come up at any public meetings for commissioner approval. Bermudez told WLRN the public should have a chance to weigh in on promoting GTA VI, and said he would vote "no" if this comes up.
