Folks, we have gaming drama! And of course, wherever there is drama and controversy, you can be sure there's a Miami connection: #BecauseMiami.
Miami comes into play after many eagle-eyed gamers combing through the footage pointed out that the community upon which the game's protagonists are wreaking havoc looks a lot like Miami.
And not just in a "beach and palm trees" way, but in a "Dude, that's literally Bayfront Park!" way.
Between what looks a lot like Bayfront, Metrorail-looking trains that read "Vice City," and a slew of other tidbits that were uncovered, it's quite obvious GTA VI is set — at least partially — in Miami.
But don't take the internet's word for Miami being at the center of the biggest gaming controversy in years. Review the evidence yourself below (before Big Media takes it down).
"The GTA 6's stadium is 'Solar+Amphitheater' in Miami. https://www.google.com/maps/place/FPL. #GTA6 #LEAK," shared Twitter user @Qas_30_21, for instance, helpfully supplying a satellite view and link to a Google Maps view of the FPL Solar Amphitheater in Bayfront Park.Amphitheater in GTA 6 #GTA6 #GTA6leak #GTA6LEAKS pic.twitter.com/HfrTEgWKhr
— MaYank ChAuDhArY (@MaYank_GaMeRr) September 18, 2022
"As we can see in this picture there there [sic] is banner of the right side on which vice city is written and on the left there is map of Canada and Mexico right side confirmation that this was actually GTA 6 gameplay and video and it is based in Miami Florida," tweeted @Shubham91838143.The GTA 6's stadium is 'Solar+Amphitheater' in Miami. https://t.co/hKND39RrgG… #GTA6 #LEAK pic.twitter.com/cJdwRxggNa
— leaks (@Qas_30_21) September 19, 2022
"Sigh, even the fictional #Marlins team in GTA 6 is using teal," observed @MarlinsHistory.As we can see in this picture there there is banner of the right side on which vice city is written and on the left there is map of Canada and Mexico right side confirmation that this was actually gta 6 gameplay and video and it is based in Miami Florida 😍#gta6 #GamingNews pic.twitter.com/FRoCd7Nn8L
— Shubham Kumar (@Shubham91838143) September 19, 2022
Shared Twitter user @Dreadedfull: "@MiamiBeachPD Seems yall are being honored in this edition of GTA6. How do you yall feel? Well it isn't Miami beach, its OceanBeach PD."Sigh, even the fictional #Marlins team in GTA 6 is using teal. pic.twitter.com/bTgk0lEO9C
— Marlins Historian (@MarlinsHistory) September 19, 2022
"El Palmetto de Miami está en construcción hasta en GTA6," — the Palmetto Expressway is still under construction — quipped @GeekCubano.@MiamiBeachPD Seems yall are being honored in this edition of GTA6. How do you yall feel? Well it isn't Miami beach, its OceanBeach PD. pic.twitter.com/oTu7dSgocT
— Dreaded (@Dreadedfull) September 20, 2022
GTA VI wouldn't be the first time Grand Theft Auto utilized a fictional Miami as the home base for its mayhem. In 2002, Rockstar Games released GTA: Vice City, which has sold more than 17 million copies to date. That game brought on accusations of racism from the Haitian-American community when dialogue in the game stated, "I hate those Haitians. We'll take them out, we'll take these Haitians down." The most recent iteration of the series, GTA V, was released in 2013.El Palmetto de Miami está en construcción hasta en GTA6 😂 pic.twitter.com/V9eDlCUtSU
— Geek Cubano (@GeekCubano) September 19, 2022
To date, the GTA franchise has sold more than 320 million copies, making it one of the most popular video games of all time.
If a fictitious Miami is indeed the setting for GTA VI, expect to see it on the news quite a bit. The notoriously violent game has routinely been a talking point for Second Amendment defenders looking for anything and everything to blame for increased gun violence in America.
Because as we all know: Guns don't kill people; video games that show what guns are capable of kill people.
For those dreading the release of GTA VI, the good news is that it's still two years away from Best Buy and Target. The bad news? That timeline lines up with the 2024 election, so get used to hearing about this game.
