It all started when the first trailer for GTA 6 showed a heavily tattooed person who clearly resembled the so-called Florida Joker. Shortly afterwards, the American Lawrence Sullivan posted a rather curious video on TikTok.
Sullivan was less than pleased that Rockstar had apparently used his appearance as a reference for the fictional character in the trailer. In a viral TikTok video, he demanded 1-2 million dollars in compensation for the fact that the developers had used his likeness for advertising purposes without his consent.
Later, Sullivan dyed his hair purple, wore an orange prison jumpsuit and “threatened” Rockstar Games: “I’ll give you the biggest free marketing, I want an extra million dollars for it.” At the same time, he gave Rockstar an ultimatum of 3 days to respond, otherwise his lawyers would take action.
So far, neither Rockstar Games nor its parent company Take-Two Interactive has responded to the Florida Joker’s exaggerated claim. Such a claim would probably have little success in court.
Nevertheless, Lawrence Sullivan continues to play his role, which has already given him a considerable reach on TikTok. The American now has over 20,000 followers on TikTok and each of his videos quickly goes viral.
In his latest video, he even increases his compensation claim to a whopping 10 million dollars. At the same time, he threatens to free the 18-year-old hacker, who has leaked numerous videos and more from GTA 6 in the past, from prison.
Lawrence Sullivan explains that he can no longer move freely in public without being addressed by fans as Mr. GTA Joker. The 10 million dollars are now compensation for his “suffering and pain”” and the “defamation of his person”””.
He also intends to get the hacker out of the psychiatric ward and give him a laptop so he can hack GTA 6 again.
It should be emphasized that the claims and threats against Rockstar were exaggerated from the start and the whole situation was meant to be satirical. It is unlikely that the Joker was actually convinced that he would be successful in court against Rockstar Games.
Lawrence Sullivan was probably not hoping for a settlement from the outset, but rather for an increase in his own fame, which GTA 6 brought him long before its official release.
All in all, it’s an amusing story about GTA 6 that should have shortened the waiting time for many. And who knows what ideas the Florida Joker will come up with before the release?
What do you think about the Florida Joker? Is he a funny character that fits in perfectly with GTA 6, or just someone who wants to attract attention through the coverage? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
