Miami is turning into Vice City: a rooftop sign, airport displays and a $3.9 million deal
Rockstar is paying Miami-Dade County to brand the city for launch. Not everyone in Miami is happy about it.
Miami-Dade County has signed a set of advertising agreements with Rockstar Games worth about $3.9 million to promote Grand Theft Auto VI, which is set in Vice City, the game's version of Miami.
What Miami will look like
- A huge "Welcome to Vice City" sign on top of the Kaseya Center downtown, visible from planes landing at Miami International. That part alone is a $975,000 deal.
- Themed displays on the walkways between the airport's car parks and terminals.
- Promotional lighting and decorations at PortMiami.
- Game-themed wraps on traffic signal boxes across the county.
The cities of Miami and Miami Beach have made their own separate deals with Rockstar. The county says the money will go to a long-stalled public park behind the Kaseya Center.
The pushback
Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and Commissioner J.C. Bermudez have criticised the partnership because of the game's depiction of crime and violence against police, and several commissioners objected that the deals went ahead without a full commission vote.