Xbox has revealed a custom alligator containing an Xbox Series X, an unusual marketing move that appears to nod to Grand Theft Auto 6 without mentioning the game. The console is also coming to Xbox, but the original report says Microsoft has not referred to it in its blog posts, amid what appears to be a Sony-exclusive marketing arrangement with Rockstar Games. The deal’s terms are not known.
The alligator measures more than five feet from snout to tail. The console is visible through an illuminated Xbox Nexus feature in its body, while a custom Xbox Wireless Controller with bite marks sits between the creature’s jaws. Xbox described the project as a combination of console and creature fabrication.
The animatronic was made by John Nolan Studio, which has also produced creatures for The Witcher and Jurassic World Dominion. It is a one-of-a-kind item rather than a product for mass production, and Xbox says it can only be won through one of its sweepstakes.
Xbox’s announcement says, “This November, Xbox is heading to Florida,” but does not explain the reference. It also avoids naming GTA 6, Rockstar Games or Vice City. The alligator and Florida setting nevertheless evoke the game, whose fictional Vice City is based on Miami.
Giant Bomb cofounder Jeff Gerstmann compared the approach on Bluesky to brands that advertise around the Super Bowl without using its name. He joked that people planning to play “Big Florida Crime 6” should do it on a gator.
Sources: Kotaku.