With less than three months to go before the official release of Grand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar Games unveiled a 27-minute extended gameplay preview over the weekend, pushing player anticipation for this heavyweight title to a fever pitch. Unsurprisingly, its launch on November 19th is expected to not only generate unprecedented hype but could also deliver an extraordinary economic impact across the United States.
According to a recent study by Jose Montalvo, an economics professor at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, “Grand Theft Auto 6” will absolutely cause a large number of people to take the day off work to play, leading to a potential loss of up to $1 billion in economic output across the United States on that day of global celebration for gamers.
This research report shows that when *Grand Theft Auto 6* hits the market on November 19, thousands of American men between the ages of 18 and 30 will take the day off work so they have enough time to experience this highly anticipated blockbuster that fans have been waiting over 10 years for. To further demonstrate just how massive the influence of this series is, Jose Montalvo mentioned in the report that on the day the previous installment, *Grand Theft Auto 5*, launched in September 2013, there was a 2% rate of employees calling in sick among workers aged 18 to 35 in major cities across the United States.
Additionally, some US companies seem to be well aware of the potential impact of Grand Theft Auto 6, even warning consumers that services on that day may be affected. For instance, California-based automotive company Burger Motorsports has already issued a statement indicating that starting November 19th, for at least several days, their customer service, shipping, order processing, and overall work efficiency may see a decline, as they anticipate a large number of employees taking leave that day.
Meanwhile, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two, Rockstar Games’ parent company, had speculated that Grand Theft Auto 6 could generate up to $1 billion in revenue for the development team after its release.
Since Take-Two has no other major projects expected in 2026, Grand Theft Auto 6 is projected to be the primary source of the company’s revenue for the fiscal year. Although all of Rockstar Games’ development studios are involved in the development of Grand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar North, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, remains the lead development studio for the title. As a result, while the U.S. faces this impact on economic output in November, the UK could stand to benefit considerably.
Although the leak incident earlier this month caused a slight dip in Take-Two’s stock price, discussion of *Grand Theft Auto 6* has once again reached a new high following the release of the extended preview trailer, and Rockstar Games will continue to ramp up its marketing efforts going forward. Given that major U.S. companies employ large numbers of young people, it remains unclear just how many American workers plan to take time off on November 19.
Source: KOCPC Chinese