The launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 could create an unexpected headache for American businesses, with an estimated 1.5 million people planning to call in sick to play the highly anticipated video game on November 19. The resulting loss in productivity could cost US businesses as much as $1 billion, according to calculations by an academic researcher.
Rockstar Games is preparing to release one of the most anticipated video games in recent years, but the excitement surrounding its arrival could extend well beyond gaming communities. For employers, the November launch could mean a noticeable drop in workplace productivity as employees make time to explore the next instalment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
The estimated financial impact highlights the unusual economic influence a major video game release can have, particularly when its launch falls on a weekday.
Why GTA 6’s Thursday Launch Matters
GTA 6 is scheduled to launch on Thursday, November 19. The midweek release date could encourage players to take the day off and turn the occasion into a longer gaming break.
For some employees, calling in sick could provide an opportunity to start playing without work commitments getting in the way. Others may have arranged official leave, meaning the actual impact on businesses will depend on how many workers are absent and how employers manage staffing on the day.
The estimate of 1.5 million planned sick days comes from Professor José GarcÃa Montalvo of Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. His calculations suggest that US businesses could face losses of up to $1 billion, equivalent to approximately £750 million.
The projected impact is not limited to individual companies dealing with absent employees. A broad reduction in working hours across multiple industries could also affect overall productivity.
US Productivity Could Fall by Around 2%
According to the calculations reported by International Business Times, the United States could experience a productivity decline of approximately 2% on the game’s launch day because of employees taking time off to play.
The estimate focuses on the United States alone. Although the research was conducted by an academic based in Spain, the figures cited relate to the potential effect on American businesses.
The $1 billion figure represents a projected economic cost rather than a confirmed loss. The actual impact will depend on how many employees take leave, whether their absences disrupt business operations and how much work can be postponed or completed by colleagues.
There is also no worldwide estimate in the available figures, making it difficult to calculate the potential economic effect of the launch across all markets where the game is expected to attract players.
A Gaming Tradition With an Unusual History
The possibility of workers skipping their usual routines for a major game release brings to mind a long-running story associated with Japan’s Dragon Quest series.
An urban myth claims that Japanese law prevents Square Enix from releasing new Dragon Quest games on weekdays because students repeatedly skipped school to play them. That claim is not true.
However, the series has a history that helps explain how the story developed. Following the release of Dragon Quest 3, reports of widespread truancy, including hundreds of children being arrested for skipping school, became associated with the franchise’s popularity. Subsequent releases were moved to Saturdays, a practice that continued until 2012.
The episode illustrates how the excitement surrounding a major gaming release can spill into everyday life, even when popular accounts of the reasons behind release schedules are not entirely accurate.
Rockstar’s Big Release Could Have a Wider Economic Effect
For Rockstar Games, the launch represents a major commercial moment. For businesses outside the gaming industry, however, the same event could bring an entirely different set of challenges.
A projected 1.5 million sick days would not necessarily translate into an identical number of disrupted shifts or lost sales. Nevertheless, the possibility of a 2% productivity decline shows the scale of the effect that a highly anticipated entertainment release could have when large numbers of people make similar plans at the same time.
The available estimate does not establish how many people will actually call in sick on November 19. It instead reflects the anticipated behaviour of players ahead of the launch.
With the projected cost reaching as much as $1 billion in the United States alone, GTA 6 could become an unusual example of how consumer enthusiasm for a video game can create consequences far beyond the entertainment industry.
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