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GTA 6's debut trailer was released on December 5, 2023, to a lot of fanfare. However, it also led to the latest controversy, with the franchise involving an individual named Lawrence Sullivan, aka the Florida Joker. Sullivan believed that one of the characters featured in the trailer was based on him and started uploading videos on social media demanding money from Rockstar Games for copying his likeness.
But the individual's demands have now turned towards asking for a voice-over role in the upcoming game, and fans have begun losing all interest in the fiasco. In this article, we will be going through everything that has happened in the Florida Joker controversy so far and why it is fizzling out.
Everything known about the GTA 6 Florida Joker controversy so far and why it is fizzling out
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The GTA 6 map will be set in Leonida, a fictional state likely based on Florida. Rockstar referenced several incidents that have occurred in the American state in the game's trailer, and among them was that of a man with face tattoos.
However, the Florida Joker soon uploaded a video on social media addressing the character's resemblance to himself, featured in the X post above. He then uploaded another video on the same issue a few days later but demanded around $2 million from Rockstar Games on this occasion.
This was around when Grand Theft Auto fans started gaining some interest in the GTA 6 Florida Joker controversy, but they also believed that his demands would not get fulfilled and the whole thing would eventually fizzle out.
Notably, while these videos didn't draw a response from Rockstar or its parent company, Take-Two Interactive actors of Michael De Santa and Arthur Morgan from Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, respectively, did react to it.
Despite countless suggestions from viewers to end the controversy, Florida Joker continued demanding millions from Rockstar and started threatening the studio with legal action as well. Although some thought that things might get serious now, the multiple final warnings issued to Rockstar made fans bored of the situation.
Neither Rockstar nor Take-Two has responded to him, and it doesn't seem like they ever will. Oddly enough, Florida Joker's latest demands, as of this writing, include a few million dollars, a royalty deal offer, and letting him voice the character in GTA 6's story mode.
However, this is exactly why this controversy is fizzling out. As stated earlier, the Florida Joker has given multiple "final" warnings to Rockstar, and his demands keep increasing with every video. The entire thing has become very repetitive now, and Rockstar Games' silence isn't helping his case.
Hence, there seemingly isn't much to look forward to here. The studio is expected to release more trailers of the title this year, and they might draw more videos from the Florida Joker. But Rockstar ever responding to him seems highly unlikely.
