The Sun found out how much the release of GTA VI will cost Britain because of holidays

The release of the game Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI) will cost British companies £12 million ($16.1 million), reports The Sun, citing the service BrightHR, which, among other things, monitors whether employees are absent from work.

The release of the new part of the franchise will take place on November 19 - 13 years after the last part, against this background, the number of applications for time off has sharply increased. According to BrightHR, in November-December, British workers issued 83 thousand days of leave for reasons related to the release of the GTA. According to forecasts of experts referred to by the publication, only on the day of release, British companies will lose £ 3.14 million ($4.22 million).

In 4.63% of applications for November 19, GTA is listed as the reason. Some employees threatened dismissal if their superiors did not give them leave.

The continuation of the major game franchise Grand Theft Auto - GTA VI from the American company Rockstar Games - was announced in December 2023. The plot will unfold in the fictional city of Vice City, the prototype of which was Miami. The main characters will be Jason and Lucia, who will be the first female protagonist in the series. GTA VI is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Initially, the release was planned in 2025.

The last instalment in the GTA V series, released in September 2013, was and remains the most expensive video game in history. Its total budget varies from $265 million to $365 million, including marketing.

The first part of GTA was released in 1997. Then players were attracted to the world of street crime, gang formation and reckless driving. The success of the game came instantly.

This release will cost the companies more than £12m - a serious loss in such a short period of time. Some executives may roll their eyes when employees take time off for a video game, but that’s no less a valid reason than taking time off to attend a football game, concert, or bachelorette party. Fans have been waiting 13 years for this, said BrightHR CEO Alan Price.

Preload digital versions of GTA VI will start on November 12, a week before the release. In the box with a physical copy of the game, there will be no disc with the game - only code that allows you to download the game digitally. The New York Times compared the release of GTA VI with the release of a new album by Beyoncé or the premiere of a film by Martin Scorsese.

In late August, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) wrote that the release of GTA VI will lead to a “blackout of the work”. The newspaper reported that fans share in their social networks plans to use their paid vacation to spend time playing. In addition, some employers, according to the newspaper, used the release of the game as an incentive to motivate employees.