'GTA, a week on the couch in my underwear.' This is an actual reason for annual leave submitted by a UK worker to their company.
UK HR software provider BrightHR released findings analyzing attendance data from over 1.2 million employees across 70,000 UK businesses on its official blog on the 9th, local time. Annual leave registered with GTA as the reason in November and December is estimated at approximately 83,000 days, amounting to £12.4 million (approx. 22.4 billion won) based on an annual leave cost of £150 per day. Launch day on the 19th alone accounts for £3.14 million (approx. 5.7 billion won).
The concentration on launch day is clear. Among reasons given for annual leave on the 19th, GTA accounted for nearly 5%, outstripping honeymoons and graduation ceremonies. The number of staff taking time off for GTA on that day is more than double those taking leave for a honeymoon. Annual leave booked for Thursday the 19th is also 7.89% higher than on the Thursday a week prior, well above the 2.51% increase recorded in the same comparison last year. Some employees even took off two full weeks.
The reasons submitted were even more candid. Phrases like 'GTA release, deny it and I quit' and 'GTA Day. Game on, losers' were submitted verbatim. By generation, GTA ranked in the top 5 reasons for annual leave on the 19th among Millennials—who were aged 17–32 when the previous title launched—while ranking 6th for Gen Z and 9th for Gen X. It did not appear a single time among reasons given by Baby Boomers.
Alan Price, CEO of BrightHR, noted, "Taking time off to game is just as valid as taking leave for a football match, a concert, or a stag/hen party," pointing out that as long as a business is not understaffed, there is no reason to reject requests. However, he stated that based on the firm's data, client companies in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand saw GTA account for 2% of launch day leave reasons, while not a single employee in Canada mentioned GTA. Differing enthusiasm levels or workplace cultures may account for these differences.
Workplaces aren't the only ones taking note of the launch. The Greensboro Police Department in North Carolina, USA, posted on its official X account on the 6th, local time, writing "GTA 6 needs to hurry up and get here so y'all can stay at home and let us catch a break," a post that went viral with over 1 million views.
Meanwhile, workers will need to clear their device storage as well as their leave calendars. Rockstar is initiating digital pre-downloads on the 10th, with file sizes reaching up to 212 GB depending on the platform. However, since boxed physical editions with enclosed codes are also arriving in stores starting on the 12th, players should be able to fully download the game before the official launch. All that's left is getting that leave approved.
GTA 6 launches on the 19th on PS5 and XSX|S.
And honestly, having reported on global news to this extent, I feel my own annual leave request should be approved too.
