Breaking News: Iconic GTA-Inspired Cluckin Bell and Burger Shot Restaurants Forced to Shut Down

Take-Two has issued a cease and desist order to end the operation of a popular San Diego Comic-Con cosplay restaurant pop-up called Cluckin' Bell, which was themed after the fictional fast food chain in the Grand Theft Auto video game series. The pop-up, which was successful during SDCC 2022, had plans to return for SDCC 2023, along with a new event featuring Burger Shot. However, Take-Two decided that these pop-ups were infringing on their Grand Theft Auto intellectual property and took action to prevent them from moving forward.

During SDCC 2022, a surprising collaboration between Smokin J's BBQ and fashion brand boyworldwide resulted in the creation of a Grand Theft Auto-inspired pop-up restaurant named Cluckin' Bell. This fast food chain originally appeared in the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and is a parody of real-life chains Taco Bell and KFC, with the addition of explicit language. Cluckin' Bell is featured in Grand Theft Auto 5 and other games within the franchise. The Cluckin' Bell pop-up at SDCC fully captured the essence of the Grand Theft Auto series, offering merchandise such as "Taste the ****" t-shirts, chicken masks, menu items with profanity, and even the in-game logo. The pop-up enjoyed tremendous success, prompting the announcement of its return at SDCC 2023.

Take-Two has issued a cease-and-desist order to Smokin J's BBQ after they announced Cluckin Bell's return. Rockstar Intel confirmed this news with the restaurant. In response, Smokin J's BBQ has stated that they will comply with Take-Two's order. This includes canceling the previously announced Burger Shot event at SDCC 2023 and making changes to the Cluckin Bell pop-up shop. The shop will no longer operate as Cluckin Bell, but instead, a similar store called Don't Cluckin' Tell will take its place. This alteration will allow Smokin J's BBQ to remove any copyrighted content while still being able to continue operating.

Take-Two has not made any official statements regarding this matter, but it is evident that they may have had concerns about the situation. Both Cluckin' Bell and Burger Shot are intellectual properties owned by Take-Two and Rockstar. While a parody pop-up restaurant using Take-Two's IP may have gone under the radar in 2022, repeating the event with a major announcement seemed to have crossed the line.

It is understandable that fans of Grand Theft Auto may feel disappointed with this decision. After all, it could have been seen as a fun pop-up that tied into the geek culture of SDCC. However, there are larger issues at play here. The pop-up not only exploited Take-Two's popular IP without obtaining any official licensing or revenue sharing, but there is also the potential for health or safety concerns to be unfairly associated with Take-Two. Fans can always access the official Cluckin' Chicken experience by playing Grand Theft Auto.