Rockstar Games sent shockwaves through the gaming community when it released the trailer for GTA VI earlier this week.
Gamers worldwide eagerly celebrated the highly anticipated release, praising the advancements in the game's graphics, world-building, and realism. However, not everyone was thrilled with the revelation.
Lawrence Sullivan - famously known as the 'Florida Joker' - is now demanding compensation from Rockstar Games for what he believes to be striking similarities between himself and a character featured in the GTA VI trailer.
Sullivan gained Internet notoriety after his 2017 mugshot went viral. Due to his colored hair and face tattoos, many believed Sullivan resembled Jared Leto's portrayal of Batman villain Joker in the 2016 movie Suicide Squad.
Taking to TikTok on December 5, Sullivan drew attention to the uncanny resemblance between his appearance and the character featured in Rockstar's trailer. He posted a video comparing an image of himself donning an orange jumpsuit to a character with purple hair and similar facial tattoos.
Sullivan's claim is that the character in GTA VI was "inspired by" his unique and distinctive look.
In another video shared on his social media, Sullivan asserted: "Just look me up, Florida Joker, Miami Joker, you know what I'm talking about. GTA, we got to talk."
On December 8, he further addressed the ongoing discussions about the likeness and upped the ante. He responded to online debates about his claims and took things a step further, saying: "For everyone saying I'm hallucinating and I'm not the joker from GTA VI... That's me. That's the person they got inspiration from. You see that? That? That's me."
Sullivan emphasized his desire for a conversation with GTA and suggested that if dialogue doesn't occur, they should compensate him with "like a mil or two". He firmly stated: "So what's up? Holler me GTA, Rockstar Entertainment, Rockstar Games, Rockstar Enterprise. Y'all took my likeness. Y'all took my life."
The response from the online community has been divided. Some TikTok users support Sullivan's claim and believe he deserves compensation. One user commented: "It’s definitely Miami joker they took his design and just altered it. I think they should pay him at least 50k."
A second added: "I understand but do you know [you're] on the greatest game ever and you should be happy. I do agree they should pay you some money but sound happy." Another suggested that Sullivan should negotiate with the company or request the removal of his image.
Others questioned his dissatisfaction, with one user asking, "How u not happy?" Sullivan's response was clear: "Want the bag."
However, some users believe that being featured in the game is an honor. One comment read, "It's an honor to be in the game."
But some TikTok users then pointed out that if Sullivan is going after GTA, then DC may want a word with him. "PAY DC FOR USING THEIR CHARACTER NAME AND GETTIN TATTOOS INSPIRED BY THEIR CHARACTER," one person commented.
"DC need to come talk to you for copying Joker bro," added another.
Something tells me Rockstar knows exactly what they're doing. Maybe just be happy with the shoutout?
Meanwhile, many people are calling for the game to be pulled from shelves before it has even been released. Click here to find out more...
