- Miami-Dade leaders wanted to rebrand Miami International Airport as Vice City Airport for a GTA 6 promotion.
- The idea was to increase the city's revenue by banking on GTA 6's incredible hype.
- The local sheriff shot down the idea as GTA 6 promoted violence against law enforcement officers.
Miami-Dade leaders had suggested partnering with Rockstar Games to rebrand Miami International Airport as ‘Vice City Airport’ as a marketing tactic for both the city and the game. However, the idea to rebrand Miami to GTA 6 Vice City was shot down by Miami Sheriff Cordero-Stutz, who disliked the idea of rebranding the city for a game that promotes violence against law enforcement.
GTA 6 Vice City Rebrand Idea Shot Down By Local Sheriff
She argued that GTA 6 promotes criminal activity, and with Miami’s real challenges of cutting down crime, rebranding the city would send the wrong message. Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez agreed with her and urged promoting the city and country’s actual achievements instead.
The idea to rebrand Miami as Vice City came from the mayor’s office, as they view it as a potential source of revenue. But the Sheriff’s concerns are also accurate, as GTA has never been about promoting law enforcers. However, the wanted system in GTA 6 does its best to catch players in the act of crime. Still, despite how incredible the GTA 6 Vice City skyline may look, the game is still about committing crimes.
GTA games have a history of protagonists going against the police, and in many games the police characters are also shown as corrupted. The franchise has often put forth the criminals in a good light, villainizing the police. This is also understandable, as the protagonists have always been from the life of crime.
GTA 6 would likely follow the same pattern, even though it has a safeguard against mindless violence. The new Criminal Profiling system in GTA 6 definitely makes committing mindless violence a second thought, but the game still promotes the commission of crimes.
Nonetheless, rebranding Miami into Vice City would have been excellent promotional material for both the game and the city. Vice City in the GTA 6 map was, after all, inspired by Miami itself, and the hype around GTA 6 is so incredibly high that it would have definitely propelled more revenue for the city.
But not everything can be seen through the lens of revenue. What’s your opinion on this matter? Do you think Miami should be rebranded as Vice City or not? Tell us in the comments section below.
