BOCA RATON — Having already added significant color to their game presentation, including a return this season of a rendition of the team’s Vice uniforms, the Miami Heat plan on Nov. 18 to take it one step further, with “A Night in Vice City.”
Ahead of the Nov. 19 release of the Grand Theft Auto VI video game, the Heat announced Friday that when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 18 in a nationally televised game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Kaseya Center night will be “showcasing the Miami-inspired setting of Grand Theft Auto VI — for a first-of-its-kind sports crossover experience that will see the Heat play on a special court, introduce a uniform never previously worn, and roll out unique game programming and live elements.”
The makeover already has begun, when on Thursday the team celebrated the lighting of the “Welcome to Vice City” signage on the roof of Kaseya Center.
The Heat said more details would follow linking the team and the sometimes controversial brand in coming weeks.
The Nov. 18 game already stood as a signature night, with it marking Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first game against his former team since he was dealt to the Heat in July. That game also is the scheduled return of the four players dealt by the Heat along with draft capital for Antetokounmpo — Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis.
According to Rock Star Games, “Grand Theft Auto V, has sold-in over 230 million units alone. Alongside the other blockbuster entries in the series, including Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto has become one of the biggest-selling and most critically acclaimed and influential properties in modern entertainment, selling nearly 475 million units.”
In light of previous editions of the Grand Theft series depicting gun violence against police, there has been pushback about Miami-Dade County striking a $975,000 marketing agreement with the game-maker for the signage atop the arena.
The Miami-Dade Association of Police Chiefs issued a statement that included that Miami-Dade, “deserves to be represented by the values of its residents, not by a fictional image built around crime and violence.”
In addition, the Miami Herald quoted Miami-Dade Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez as saying, “It’s a game where police officers are killed. Pedestrians are run over. And we’re going to make money from a video game that glorifies it.”