“Grand Theft Auto VI” is scheduled for release on Thursday marking the first new title in the “Grand Theft Auto” franchise in 13 years, according to the Guardian.
Economic projections indicate that the launch could cost the U.S. economy about $1 billion in a single day due to employee absenteeism, as reported by The Jerusalem Post.
Prof. Jose García Montalvo of Pompeu Fabra University estimated that approximately 1.5 million American workers, or 1% of the U.S. workforce, will miss work on the release date based on an average annual output of about $70,000 per worker.
Israeli Workers May Cause Daily Economic Output Losses
In Israel, projection models estimate that between 42,000 and 95,000 workers will miss work, creating a daily economic output loss of NIS 75 million to NIS 170 million.
Nick Huntington-Klein, an associate professor of economics at Seattle University, said that the key factor is scale regarding whether employees will take time off work in large enough numbers to create a noticeable impact, adding that his suspicion is actual workplace behavior may not match survey projections.
Meanwhile, digital sociologist Daniel Joseph at Manchester University observed that while people plan to take off work for the title, such behavior is not unique to this particular game.
UK-based software company BrightHR reported that 5% of leave requests for November 19 cited the game, representing an annual leave value of £3.14 million ($6.1 million) on that date alone.
Ciaran Hale, deputy chief technology officer, said that a major trap for businesses is the day-before download spike when shift workers clear schedules 24 hours prior to launch, creating a multi-day scheduling crunch across frontline workforces.
In addition, scammers have launched fake early access websites designed to steal up to $1,000 in cryptocurrency and install malware, according to Power Up Gaming.
Survey data compiled by BambooHR shows that 18% of salaried U.S. workers plan to take the day off on November 19, with the figure rising to 32% for Gen Z employees and 27% for millennials, as reported by Yahoo Finance.
Bud Burruss, a 36-year-old software engineer, told Yahoo Finance that he plans to take five days off the week before Thanksgiving. “We’ve got a couple of days where we’re like, ‘Daddy’s very busy,’” Burruss said.
Guilherme Stephano, a 34-year-old from São Paulo, Brazil, is using 10 vacation days to play the game, a shorter break than the 20 days he took off for “Red Dead Redemption 2” in 2018.
Anna Ray, a 30-year-old medical-sales representative in Arkansas, stated she planned to take Thursday to Thursday off after multiple schedule reschedules.
Nina Cabuil Shariff, Logitech’s European go-to-market and operations manager, and her husband plan to settle household disputes in “Call of Duty” during their time off, while electrical engineer Steven Kuo planned a session with “Elden Ring”, and Heath Cleveland, manager of marketing analytics and insights, joined “World of Warcraft: Forever” after a spouse’s recommendation.
Corporate Responses and Paid Time Off
Some employers have elected to close operations or grant special time off to accommodate the release. Ratings company Worldworthy also announced employees could take up to three paid days off for the launch.
Computer equipment manufacturer Logitech announced it will grant its more than 7,000 employees worldwide a paid day off called “Logi Game Day” to mark the release, as reported by Business Insider.
Robin Piispanen, the general manager and vice president of Logitech G, said that “excellence doesn’t come from constant grinding. It comes from having space to recharge and have fun.”
Piispanen, a former competitive gamer, is scheduled to host a community streaming event at the company’s San Jose headquarters on release day. Raptor PR, a UK-based company, also granted an extra day off to its nine-person team, while the U.S. Army’s 9th brigade engineer battalion in Georgia offered a four-pass day for reenlistees.
Grand Theft Auto V Generated Billions for Rockstar Games
The game’s predecessor, “Grand Theft Auto V”, sold more than 200 million copies and generated approximately $8.5 billion for Rockstar Games since its release in 2013, according to The Jerusalem Post.