Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI doesn’t come out for another month, but Miami is already starting to look a lot like Vice City.
The hype around the game is hard to overstate. It arrives Nov. 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S after two delays, and eight years after Rockstar’s last major release, Red Dead Redemption 2. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent company, has never disclosed what the game cost to make, and it declined to confirm a figure to Fortune earlier this year. But a ranking compiled by gaming platform Zero1 Gaming puts its combined development and marketing budget at roughly $2 billion, making it the most expensive video game ever made. Market research firm Newzoo projects the game could generate between $3.25 billion and $5.2 billion in its first week, based on early pre-order data. Some employers are already planning around the launch; one U.S. Army unit is even offering days off to play it.
Beyond the virtual Vice City, Rockstar’s marketing push is aimed squarely at the real city that inspired it. Not everyone in Miami-Dade County government is happy about that.
The county’s pitch
On June 29, Miami-Dade officials submitted a pitch deck to Rockstar outlining potential promotional activations on county property, according to documents obtained by The Miamian through a public records request. The concepts included a “Vice City Airport” arrival experience at Miami International Airport, Metromover cars wrapped in Vice City branding, a mural at PortMiami, custom manhole covers in downtown Miami and Brickell, and a car-culture festival at Tropical Park.
The mayor’s office framed the idea as a way to make money. “Nothing has been formally agreed to or approved, and any idea would have to go through the appropriate review and approval process,” Carlos Suarez, a spokesperson for Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, told The Miamian. “Given Miami-Dade’s clear influence on the game, we think there could be a unique opportunity to generate revenue for the County while showcasing Miami-Dade to a massive audience.”
The sheriff and a commissioner push back
Other county leaders pushed back hard. On Sept. 3, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez issued a joint statement urging the county to reject using public resources to promote the game.
“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,” Bermudez said. Cordero-Stutz called Grand Theft Auto “a video game franchise built around criminal activity.” The release ended bluntly: “Miami-Dade County is not Vice City.”
The opposition resurfaced at the County Commission’s Oct. 6 meeting. There, several commissioners, led by René Garcia, objected to the mayor’s staff negotiating paid promotions at county facilities. With opposition strong enough to end the talks, Commissioner Oliver Gilbert used a procedural move to push the vote to the board’s Oct. 20 meeting. Commissioners also reminded the administration that any agreement above the $1 million threshold must come back to the board for approval.
A $975,000 sign and a growing list of stunts
That threshold matters. Levine Cava can approve deals under $1 million without a commission vote, and the one major county deal completed so far came in just under it. On Sept. 22, a helicopter lowered a giant pink “Welcome to Vice City” sign onto the roof of the county-owned Kaseya Center, home of the Miami Heat. The sign went up under a $975,000 agreement with Rockstar, $25,000 below the line that would have required a board vote.
Neighboring governments have moved ahead on their own. The Miami Beach City Commission approved a deal worth up to $4 million in a 4-3 vote on Sept. 10. It puts discreet Vice City branding on beach chairs and umbrellas from Oct. 15 through Dec. 31. The City of Miami, meanwhile, approved temporary banners worth up to $1.2 million.
Rockstar’s own activations keep multiplying. There’s a Goodyear blimp in Vice City livery and a convoy of real cars modified to look like in-game vehicles, complete with plates from the game’s fictional state of Leonida. The company has also partnered with the Heat on “A Night in Vice City.” On Nov. 18, the eve of the game’s release, the team will play the Milwaukee Bucks in reimagined uniforms on a custom court.
One of the more community-minded tie-ins is with Wynwood Walls. Through a partnership with Rockstar, the outdoor street-art museum began offering free admission to Miami-Dade County residents on Oct. 13, and the offer runs through 2028. Visitors need a valid photo ID with a Miami-Dade address. The deal also brought 10 new murals featuring original artwork commissioned for the game, the museum says. The game’s Vice City even includes a Wynwood-inspired district called Stockyard.
The split shows the bet Miami-Dade is weighing. Grand Theft Auto VI will put a version of Miami in front of tens of millions of players whether the county takes part or not. When commissioners meet on Oct. 20, the question is whether the county gets paid for that exposure or keeps public property out of the game entirely.
