The plan was perfect: taking advantage of San Diego Comic-Con, one of the places with the highest number of attendees in the world this weekend (and undoubtedly with the most video game players in its ranks), a group of entrepreneurs decided to open a Cluckin’ Bell and a Burger Shot, the fictional restaurants from ‘GTA: San Andreas,’ for a few days. The problem was that neither Rockstar nor Take Two had any idea… And for whatever reason, they didn’t take it well.
Failin’ Bell
The situation isn’t new: last year, the same organizers opened a Cluckin’ Bell before Rockstar’s legal services noticed. It was meticulously crafted, filled with references to GTA, but it lasted only as long as the five days of the convention, and no one found out who was behind it. This year, unfortunately for gamers, they noticed very quickly.
The restaurant Smokin J’s BBQ and Boyworldwide, a fashion brand from Las Vegas, had teamed up again after a small national tour to give another nod to ‘GTA: San Andreas’ and, at the same time, make more money during a weekend when everything in San Diego, from the shabbiest taco stand to the themed ‘Sonic’ restaurant, cashes in big time. After receiving a cease and desist order, they had no choice but to shut down.
Well, in fact, they will: next weekend, they will open the Cluckin’ Bell with a different name, “Don’t Cluckin’ Tell,” presumably to try to cover the expenses of the pop-up that never was. Although it hurts all of us, the truth is that Rockstar‘s position is understandable: nobody likes others to profit from their work, after all.
The good part? They’ve given them a golden idea to promote ‘GTA VI,’ if the studio wants to take advantage of it. They just need to bring out all the merchandise they have, a couple of Cluckin’ Bell aprons, and embrace the fans. And this time, without the need to shut it down prematurely.
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