GTA 6 launch to cost UK £12 million as 83,000 workers book leave
Tens of thousands of employees are booking time off on 19 November for one specific reason, which could cost the UK economy some £12 million.
If you've been following gaming news for the last few months, you'll know that 19 November will mark the end of a years long wait for fans of Grand Theft Auto, with GTA 6 finally going live around the world.
The new instalment of the carjacking, gun-toting, star-accumulating game promises to build on the enormous open worlds that have made the franchise so successful, and the launch has already come with its own series of moral concerns about the game's content - it wouldn't be a Grand Theft Auto game without them.
But in addition to heated discussions about corrupting the nation's youth, another feature of previous Grand Theft Auto releases has been people booking time off work specifically to play it.
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HR specialist BrightHR cited a huge uptick in requests for annual leave where employees made no effort to hide why they were booking time off just when the game happens to be scheduled to go live, so much so they even shared a whole article on it.
This included finding that the game launch was even a bigger reason than going on honeymoon on the day of GTA 6's launch, though in fairness November isn't a month that screams honeymoon.
In fact, the company found that as many as five percent of all of the time off requests on the game's launch day were to play GTA 6.
This meant that company bosses could face a paid time off bill of some £12.4 million, of which around £3.14 million is on 19 November.
Of course, things like weekends and a set level of annual leave are the hard-won rights from generations of working class activists, union organisers, and blood, sweat, and tears, so if someone wants to use their time off to play GTA 6, that's as valid a use of that time as going on holiday.
And many employees were not shy about why they were requesting time off, heading up their requests with subjects like 'GTA week on the sofa in my pants', and 'GTA day. Game on, losers'.
BrightHR CEO Alan Price said: “Some bosses might roll their eyes at time off to game, but they shouldn’t view it as time wasted. Taking gaming time off is every bit as valid as booking annual leave for a football match, a concert or a hen do.”
Price went on to advise employers that 'as long as it doesn't leave you short staffed, there's no reason to decline requests', reasoning that ultimately it's entirely an employee's business what they do with their time off.
“Don't underestimate what makes your team tick," said Price. "Some employees want to see the world; others want to tear around it through a console. This is honesty and trust in action: staff are unafraid to ask for what they want.
As for the new game itself, preloading for GTA 6 is set to begin from tomorrow, 10 November, before going live on 19 November.
Here we go again...
Kit Roberts
