GTA 6's hand-painted Brooklyn mural has been tagged, about two weeks before launch
A black-and-white tag reading Jelous now runs across the lower part of the hand-painted GTA 6 mural in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. What it covers, how fans took it, and what nobody has said yet.
A black-and-white graffiti tag reading Jelous now runs across the lower part of the hand-painted Grand Theft Auto VI mural in Brooklyn, about two weeks before the game comes out. Kotaku says it went up late on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The mural, at Wythe Avenue and North 11th Street in Williamsburg, took Colossal Media's painters seven days and was finished around Oct. 10, Beebom and Gadget Review report. Reports call it the first GTA 6 mural in Brooklyn, and our story on the ads beyond Miami has the rest of the campaign.
What the tag covers
The tag sits over part of Lucia's legs, Gadget Review says. Jason, the Rockstar logo and the game's title are still clear above it.
The mural reproduces Rockstar's Lock and Load artwork of Jason and Lucia, with "Plays Best on PS5" branding, Beebom reports. The original is on Rockstar's artwork page.
Who's behind it
The name on the wall is Jelous. Photos of the tag appeared on an Instagram account of that name, along with videos of the same logo going up elsewhere in New York, according to Beebom. Kotaku and TheGamer describe the account's owner as the graffiti artist who painted it. Gadget Review points out that nobody has independently confirmed that, and that there's no report of a police complaint or an arrest.
How people took it
Most of the reaction has been negative. Kotaku reports comments on Instagram calling the mural ruined, and TheGamer says the account then turned its comments off.
On Reddit, a user who says they're a graffiti artist in Italy called it "pretty disrespectful, even by graffiti standards," Kotaku reported, arguing that someone still spent time and skill on the painting even if it's an ad. Others say a giant advertisement is fair game. Kotaku's own view is that tagging a corporate mural is a very GTA thing to do.
What happens next
We found no comment from Rockstar Games or Colossal Media, and no word on whether the wall will be repainted before GTA 6 comes out on Nov. 19. Rockstar has plenty more on show elsewhere, including 10 new murals at Wynwood Walls in Miami and a Vice City blimp over South Florida.
Questions readers ask
- Where is the GTA 6 mural in Brooklyn?
- At Wythe Avenue and North 11th Street in Williamsburg. Colossal Media painted it by hand and finished it around Oct. 10, Beebom and Gadget Review report.
- Who tagged the GTA 6 mural?
- The tag reads Jelous, and an Instagram account of that name posted photos of it, according to Beebom and Kotaku. Gadget Review notes that nobody has independently confirmed the account's owner did the painting.
- Will the GTA 6 mural be repainted?
- Nobody has said. We found no comment from Rockstar or Colossal Media, and no report of a repaint or a police complaint.
What did you think?
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