GTA 6 launch could cost US employers €920 million in lost productivity
About 1.5 million US workers are expected to miss work for Grand Theft Auto VI’s 19 November launch, with economist José García Montalvo estimating a roughly 2% productivity dip and a €920 million loss ($1 billion). BambooHR found paid-leave requests for that day are 9–17% above recent historical averages, though it said the data cannot prove the game is the sole reason. Rockstar North, the lead studio, is based in Edinburgh.
Bottom line — Newzoo estimates opening-week retail bookings could reach €4.1 billion ($4.5 billion).
Go deeper 6
-
García Montalvo’s estimate assumes annual output of about €64,400 ($70,000) per US worker.
-
BambooHR based its leave-request data on active employees at more than 30,000 US companies.
-
The company told GameSpot the increase was consistent across its measurement checkpoints, but did not establish GTA 6 as the cause.
-
Take-Two chief executive Strauss Zelnick told shareholders the company expects more than €920 million ($1 billion) in operating cash flow this fiscal year, with GTA 6 the main driver.
-
Newzoo estimates at least 37 million copies could sell in the opening week.
-
The game is due on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, one week before Thanksgiving.