Miami-Dade County has started contacts with Rockstar Games to tie some public places in the area to the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI, expected in November. The new chapter of the series brings the setting back to Vice City, the fictional city inspired by Miami which had already been the backdrop to the famous 2002 episode. Confirming the existence of preliminary talks was Carlos Suarez, spokesperson for the county mayor Daniella Levine Cava, according to whom the staff had some exchanges with Rockstar on possible initiatives related to the release of the game, while specifying that nothing has yet been formalized or approved.
The material, obtained by The Miamian, consists of a presentation given by county officials to Rockstar on June 29th. The document proposes to transform several public infrastructures into Vice City-inspired settings: Miami International Airport, the city port, some light rail stations, Tropical Park and other buildings and spaces owned by the county.
The link between the real city and its videogame counterpart is historical: Miami provided Rockstar with the pastel aesthetics, nightlife and imagery of excess that made Vice City a cultural phenomenon. The hypothesis under study would now overturn this relationship, using the fame of the video game to attract visitors to the real places that inspired it.
Proposals contained in the document include a special setup for Miami International Airport, with an aircraft displayed and decorated with Vice City logos, as well as baggage conveyor belts, trolleys and themed signage to mark the launch. For the center of Miami, Metromover carriages covered with the colors and logos of the game, dedicated signs in the Metromover and Metrorail stations in key points such as the Stephen P. Clark Government Center, Brickell and Bayfront Park, as well as artistic interventions on electrical substations and manholes in the same area are envisaged.
The project also involves county-owned waterfront spaces. At the cargo terminal at the Port of Miami, a mural or installation inspired by the fictional Port Gellhorn neighborhood is proposed, with containers, cranes and cruise ships as decorative elements. At Rickenbacker Beach, a public work or a Vice City-themed viewpoint is proposed, overlooking Biscayne Bay. Finally, Tropical Park could host an event dedicated to Miami’s automotive culture, with vintage cars, lowriders, motorcycles and shops, designed for a family audience.