In a weird twist of events, the KFC/Taco-Bell-inspired Cluckin Bell was created, but in real life, by a BBQ joint in San Diego, California called Smoking J’s BBQ. The eatery planned a popup event for San Diego Comic-Con 2023 but was quickly shut down by Take-Two Interactive, the parent company for Rockstar Games, the creators of GTA.
In addition to the Cluckin Bell, the restaurant also had plans to launch a Burger Shot popup as well, according to ComicBook.com. Both eateries are featured and well-known in-game spots in GTA Online.
According to a statement obtained by Rockstar Intel,
Last Night, we received a cease and desist letter from the law firm representing Take-Two Interactive. In response, we have been forced to scrap the Burger Shot event that was planned for this weekend. (At Comic Con) We are still doing a Cluckin’ Bell-type installation next weekend. However, it is now going to be a spoof installation branded as Dont Cluckin Tell.
A bit of irony, Burger Shot is based on the fast-food chains Burger King and Hardee’s, while Cluckin Bell is an obvious play on Taco Bell and KFC, making a copyright claim on either property feel somewhat silly — but still legally within the company’s rights to do.
In an almost genius turn of events, the creators of the popup will instead use Grand Theft Autos‘ own tricks against them, as Take-Two can’t claim copyright infringement on a spoof, as the upcoming popup is now its own creation. The media the small BBQ joint gained from the idea has already been well worth the work put into the custom menu and uniforms.
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