Take-Two Suing Over Pulled GTA IV Ads in Chicago

May 6th, 2008 by Will Prusik in Action, Business, News, PlayStation 3

Fox ruins everything. After a Fox News affiliate questioned the propriety of running ads for GTA IV on the Chicago system, the ads were pulled down. A wave of violent crimes that had recently hit the Chicago area were the catalyst in this action, with the Chicago Transit Authority likely concerned about political backlash due to the well-known violent content of the GTA series. It might have been a smart move at first, as it could well be that some minor politician might have attempted to improve their standing with the public by criticizing the ads and put themselves forward as yet another ‘moral defender’.

Could be, might be, maybe. What is 100% true is that Take-Two, the publisher of GTA IV has filed a suit against both the Chicago Transit Authority, stating that both they and their sales agent, TItan Outdoor LLC, pulled the ads without giving adequate explanation, violating the terms of a $300,000 agreement that would have had GTA IV ads on buses and on display in various locations for six weeks between April and June. They are of course looking to have the advertisements put back up as well as $300,000 or more in damages.

Tags: Action, Business, News, PlayStation 3