The hotel that inspired Grand Theft Auto VI's Ocean View Hotel is throwing it a launch party. The Clevelander South Beach, a famous Ocean Drive landmark, has just confirmed that it's hosting a "Welcome to Vice City" bash on November 19, the day the game drops. It is calling itself an official launch partner, though Rockstar Games has not confirmed that.
The party runs from 5pm to 10pm and goes all in on the Vice City theme. According to the announcement, the Clevelander intends to turn itself into a "full GTA VI experience," with official giveaways, merchandise and a raffle for a copy of the game. Drinkers can grab a "Vice Frozen Margarita" or one of three beers pulled from the game, available for a limited time, while the official soundtrack plays.
The building itself is part of the draw. The real Clevelander at 1020 Ocean Drive is one of the many monuments in Miami that have inspired in-game counterparts, which, in this case, is the Ocean View Hotel, and the hotel is running with it. "We're celebrating the launch the only way Ocean Drive knows how," its event page reads, inviting fans to "see in person how the Ocean View Hotel fits into the GTA universe."
As we've already mentioned, the Clevelander bills itself as an official launch partner, but no Rockstar newswire post or official page names the hotel or lists the event. The partnership claim rests on the hotel's word alone for now.
The Miami GTA 6 launch window
Date | Event | Official |
|---|---|---|
November 18 | Miami Heat "A Night in Vice City" | Confirmed by Rockstar |
November 19 | GTA 6 launches | Confirmed by Rockstar |
November 19 | Clevelander "Welcome to Vice City" party | Hotel-run, Rockstar not confirmed |
November 21 | GTA 6: The Festival at Mana Wynwood | Confirmed by Rockstar |
The Clevelander party is the only one on this list Rockstar has not confirmed.
With the announcement, the Clevelander party now sits in the middle of a packed Miami launch week, scheduled for right after the Miami Heat's "A Night in Vice City" game on November 18 and two days before Rockstar's official GTA VI festival at Mana Wynwood on November 21. The difference is that those two are confirmed Rockstar events, while the Clevelander is a venue doing its own thing on launch day.
Official or not, it is a perfect bit of synergy. One of the landmarks that Rockstar's artists photographed on those Miami research trips is now cashing in on becoming a landmark in the biggest game of the decade.
Partnership or not, GTA VI fans in Miami on November 19 know exactly where the party is.