GTA 6 Paris banner edits out the guns from Rockstar's cover art
A giant GTA 6 banner on one of the Les Mercuriales towers in Paris recreates the official cover art, but Lucia's gun and an assault rifle have been removed.
Reported. Established outlets report this. Rockstar hasn't said so.
A huge Grand Theft Auto 6 banner on the side of a Paris office tower recreates the game's official cover art, with one difference: the guns are gone. Kotaku reported that the installation on one of the Les Mercuriales towers was finished on Thursday, October 15. Fans comparing it with Rockstar's original artwork found that two weapons had been removed.
What was changed
According to Kotaku, which put together a side-by-side comparison using images shared on Reddit, the edits affect two panels of the cover art:
- Lucia and Jason (top middle): in the original, Lucia holds a gun. On the Paris banner, both the gun and the hand holding it have been removed.
- Bottom middle panel: the original shows an assault rifle. In the Paris version the character's hand is still raised, but there's no weapon in front of it.
As far as fans have spotted, the rest of the composition is the same as the art Rockstar has been using everywhere else. That makes the missing guns easy to notice, especially the raised hand that is now holding nothing.
Not the first time GTA 6 ads have been trimmed
Fans had been following the banner for about two weeks, posting progress shots as the sections went up on the tower. It's one of many murals and large-format ads that have appeared as the November 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox gets closer. Kotaku pointed out that US versions, including a mural in New York City, show the guns as they appear in the original art.
This isn't the only time GTA 6 marketing has been adjusted for its audience. The game's first TV ad cut the shower scenes from the trailer footage before airing during NBA games. Rockstar has also gone big on physical marketing in the US, with supercars, Burger Shot and fake in-game brand ads around Miami.
Why the guns were removed is unclear
No one has given an official reason. Rockstar and Take-Two haven't commented on the Paris edits, and the building's owners haven't said anything either. Kotaku offered two possibilities: the tower's owners didn't want giant firearms on their building, or there are local advertising restrictions on showing guns. Kotaku presented both as guesses, not reported facts. Until someone involved explains it, the reason remains open.
Kotaku also noted the irony: whoever objected to the imagery was still willing to host a large ad for a game where guns play a central role.
What it means for players
Nothing changes in the game itself. The banner is regional marketing, and the edits only affect how the cover art appears on one building. Still, if your copy of the cover art ends up differing by region, or other European billboards get the same treatment as launch nears, it would suggest the Paris banner is part of a deliberate localisation choice and not a one-off request from a landlord. For now there's no evidence either way, and we'll update if Rockstar or the building's owners explain the change.
