Grand Theft Auto 6 is shaping up to be everything that the next Grand Theft Auto game should be, new records and controversies included.
Shortly after the release of its official trailer, a real-life figure that Florida residents (and the rest of the internet) refer to as the “Florida Joker” wants to take Rockstar Games to court for using nearly his exact likeness in the upcoming GTA title.
Known in real life as Lawrence Sullivan, the Florida Joker claims that Rockstar Games used his likeness without asking for his permission in their latest GTA entry. This claim has caught the attention of casual audiences and avid gamers, igniting talks about the boundaries of parody and the rights of individuals versus corporations. Sullivan adds that, ever since coming forward, the internet has been a much more unkind place to him, as he’s become a victim of harassment.
Sullivan, whose mugshot went viral in 2017, has drawn uncanny parallels between himself and a character in the GTA 6 trailer, which portrays a tattooed criminal in a court setting.
While the character in question has different tattoos, including the word “IMPERTINENT” on his forehead, Sullivan has spent the last week insisting that the resemblance is more than coincidental. He has threatened legal action against Rockstar, arguing that they appropriated his life story and appearance for their game.
This situation is reminiscent of Lindsay Lohan’s lawsuit against Rockstar over a character in Grand Theft Auto 5. This was ultimately dismissed in 2018. Sullivan, however, claims to possess “hard evidence” supporting his allegations, making a much stronger case compared to Lohan. Despite the assertion, many legal experts and industry insiders doubt Sullivan’s chances of success, citing significant differences between his appearance and the game character’s, as well as Rockstar’s experience in handling similar legal matters.
In particular, Roger Clark, who voiced Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2, pointed out that Rockstar is far more than capable of handling such matters as the company has parodied real-life figures for years and have gotten away with it.
Sullivan’s pursuit of legal action has been met with a mix of criticism and mockery online. Some see Sullivan’s claims as a desperate grab for attention and compensation, while others suggest that he could have capitalized on the situation in more productive ways, such as through streaming or public appearances. The controversy sparks a broader debate on the ethics of using real-life figures in fictional media, particularly when it involves making them the butt of jokes or satirical content.
The release of the GTA 6 trailer itself was a significant event, breaking records with over 150 million views. It’s set in a fictionalized version of Miami and is expected to satirize various aspects of modern American culture, including internet phenomena and influencer culture. This approach is in line with the series’ longstanding tradition of parodying real-world elements, although it occasionally leads to controversies like the one involving Sullivan.
Whether Sullivan’s claims will hold up in court remains to be seen, but they have certainly added an intriguing subplot to the already storied legacy of the Grand Theft Auto series.
