The Release of GTA 6 Could Cost the US Economy $1 Billion
Expectations are so high for GTA 6, which Rockstar Games is preparing to release on November 19th, that even the economic impact of the game’s release day is being discussed. According to a study by José Montalvo, an economics professor at Barcelona Pompeu Fabra University, the large number of employees and students in the US taking time off to play the game could lead to a significant drop in productivity.
GTA 6 May Lead to Workforce Loss in the US on Release Day
The study estimates that thousands of people, particularly those aged 18-30, may choose not to go to work or school on November 19th. It suggests that this potential wave of leave could create a temporary cost of approximately $1 billion to the US economy. Of course, this figure is not a definitive economic loss; it is an estimate based on employee behavior and assumptions about productivity.
The study also uses the 2013 release of GTA 5 as a point of comparison. It claims that approximately 2% of employees aged 18-35 living in major US cities took time off during the release period of GTA 5. Given the much higher level of interest in GTA 6, it’s estimated that similar behavior could spread to a wider audience this time.
The first signs of this are already appearing. California-based Burger Motorsports announced that some of its employees took time off in advance for the GTA 6 release, potentially slowing down customer support, shipping, and order processing for a few days. It wouldn’t be surprising if similar announcements came from other companies as the game’s release date approaches.
Interestingly, the estimated loss GTA 6 could cause to the US economy is almost identical to its expected financial return. Take-Two expects GTA 6 to generate approximately $1 billion in cash flow from sales and daily operations. So, while the game is poised to generate massive revenue on one hand, it’s also being discussed in the context of the possibility of a similarly large loss of productivity due to people rushing to their screens on release day.
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