Australian employers are bracing for a surge in leave requests and sick days when Grand Theft Auto VI is released on November 19, with workforce specialists warning of a “roster crush” across offices, shops and other frontline workplaces.
The latest instalment in Rockstar’s hugely successful series arrives 13 years after its predecessor and will take players to a fictional version of Florida, including the Miami-inspired Vice City.
Dr Matthew Thompson, an interactive media expert at the University of Southern Queensland, said previous Grand Theft Auto launches had become significant cultural events.
“Grand Theft Auto releases, at least the last three or four, have always been big cultural moments and I don’t expect this to be any different,” he said.
“I expect we’ll see a lot of people taking the day off work or waiting for it to download because it’s a massive game.”
One economist has estimated that 1.5 million Americans could be absent from work on launch day, through annual leave or sick days, creating a potential $1 billion hit to productivity.
Workforce management platform Deputy examined the impact of earlier major releases, including Overwatch 2, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring, to assess the likely effect on Australian rosters. It said absenteeism can rise by up to 90 per cent of normal levels when a game of this scale is launched.
Ciaran Hale, Deputy’s chief technology officer, said the biggest disruption could come before the official release.
“The real trap for businesses is the day-before download spike,” he said. “Shift workers clear their schedules 24 hours before a game releases so they can play the second the servers open.”
“With GTA VI’s level of anticipation, it’s likely to cause a major, multi-day scheduling crunch across the frontline workforce.”
The Fair Work Ombudsman has also addressed the question of taking time off to play the game, telling gamers that unpaid leave is not an automatic entitlement where paid annual leave has run out.
“Let’s pretend GTA VI is coming out tomorrow but you don’t have any paid leave available to play on launch day. Can you take unpaid leave?” the workplace regulator said.
It said unpaid carer’s leave, community service leave and unpaid parental leave were available in specific circumstances under Australia’s National Employment Standards, but those provisions would not apply to someone seeking time off to play a video game.
Anyone wanting unpaid leave for the launch would instead need to ask their employer and reach an agreement, as there is no general minimum entitlement to it.
Some workers have already made plans. Matthew Murray, a maintenance fitter from Bathurst, has arranged five days off with his management team, although he has not disclosed the precise reason for the leave.
“My boss doesn’t know the exact reason (I’m taking leave),” he said.
“My girlfriend will be in China for work so I’ll have absolutely no interruptions.”
The delayed release is due to fall on Murray’s birthday. “It’s a special feeling. Best 30th birthday present ever,” he said.
Dr Jacqueline Burgess, a game studies researcher at the University of the Sunshine Coast, previously described GTA VI as likely to be “one of the biggest, if not the biggest, releases in video game history”.
Dr Thompson said the scale of the game meant players were unlikely to finish it quickly.
“I think it’s one of those games you will really have to sit down and play through and take the time to play through,” he said.
“That’s one of the things Rockstar is known for — they make really long, often quite slow-burn games, and … I don’t expect it to be one of those games you can go through in 10 hours or 12 hours.
“I expect it to be huge.”
The anticipation has extended beyond civilian workplaces, with US Army soldiers reportedly offered a four-day pass to play the game if they re-enlist for a further two to six years.
