Specialist outlets estimate GTA VI absenteeism could cost the US a billion dollars

Estimates from various video game and technology outlets suggest that the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI on November 19 could result in more than a billion dollars in lost productivity for the US economy. This loss is attributed to workers skipping their jobs to play the game. The estimate, while not stemming from a published study, is based on the projection that around one and a half million people might take a day off and multiply that by the average US worker's contribution to the GDP, which is approximately $70,000.

Professor José García Montalvo, an economist from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, made this estimate known through Spanish outlet eloutput. Despite no single consultancy publishing a comprehensive methodology, similar productivity losses have been recorded in the past. For instance, the Monday following the Super Bowl has been estimated to cost the economy over $4 billion in lost productivity, based on a survey of 1,107 adults by the Workforce Institute.

The GTA series has also experienced similar effects; for example, the release of Halo 3 in 2007 led to a comparable phenomenon known as the "Halo Holiday." In response to such trends, some companies have opted to release their games on Fridays to mitigate the impact. Grand Theft Auto V, released in 2013, stands as a benchmark with its 230 million copies sold and revenue close to $10 billion, making it the highest-grossing cultural product ever.

The game is being developed by Rockstar North in Edinburgh, where about 900 people are employed, although around 4,000 employees across all studios have contributed. Set in Vice City, a fictionalized version of Florida, the game revolves around two protagonists, Jason Duval and Lucía Caminos, and addresses themes such as immigration.

Rockstar North's development director, Rob Nelson, expressed hope for meeting fans' expectations during a pre-release demonstration, as reported by El País, the sole Spanish-language outlet permitted at the event. The game will be sold only in digital format, a move criticized by collectors and in line with Sony's announcement to discontinue physical media sales by 2028.