GTA 6 Brooklyn Mural Vandalized Weeks Before Launch

A graffiti artist tagged Rockstar’s first GTA 6 mural in Brooklyn on November 5, spray-painting a black-and-white “JELOUS” logo across artwork of Jason and Lucia just two weeks before the game’s launch.

The vandalism lands at an awkward moment for Rockstar’s marketing push. GTA 6 is set to arrive November 19, and the Brooklyn mural had been one of the most visible pieces of real-world promotion for the game in New York City, a city with its own long history of graffiti culture.

How the Mural Was Made

Colossal Media, the outdoor advertising firm responsible for the artwork, hand-painted the mural over seven days, finishing it on October 10. The piece depicts Jason and Lucia holding weapons against a backdrop of palm trees and the Rockstar logo, pulled from the Lock and Load artwork used in the GTA 6 launch trailer. It also carried “Plays Best on PS5” branding.

The mural sits at the corner of Wythe Avenue and North 11th Street in Williamsburg, the same location that displayed a Grand Theft Auto V mural back in 2013. Colossal Media has worked with Rockstar since 2004, when it painted promotional art for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, according to the company’s own account of the partnership.

The Vandal’s Identity and Method

The person behind the tagging goes by Jelous.ktd on Instagram and posted photos of the vandalized mural on November 5, less than a month after the original work was completed. The account also shared videos showing the same “JELOUS” logo painted at other locations around New York, along with multiple angles of the Brooklyn piece.

The vandal left most of the upper section of the mural, including the figures of Jason and Lucia, untouched. The tagging is concentrated along the bottom of the artwork, where the large logo now dominates the lower portion of the wall.

What Happens Next

Rockstar has not said publicly whether it plans to restore the mural before GTA 6 launches on November 19, or whether the graffiti will remain as part of the piece’s life on the street. No statement has come from Colossal Media either, and there is no confirmation of any police involvement or legal action tied to the incident. The motive behind the tagging has not been confirmed.

The timing is notable given how much attention Rockstar’s marketing has drawn in recent weeks. The game recently got an unexpected boost when South Park aired a real gameplay clip credited to Rockstar, and the studio has also detailed features like working buses and trains across the game’s map. Against that backdrop, a vandalized mural counts as a minor setback rather than a serious blow to the campaign.

Whether Rockstar repaints the lower section or leaves the tag in place will likely become clear in the days ahead, with the November 19 launch now just two weeks out.