FOX 13 Seattle reports surveys projecting 1.5 million absences and a $1 billion productivity loss on November 19, a figure an economist doubts.
Sources fox13seattle.com
The Thursday, November 19 launch of GTA 6 could lead roughly 1.5 million Americans to skip work and cause a $1 billion US productivity loss, according to surveys cited by FOX 13 Seattle. The station stresses these are projections from reports and online surveys, not measurements.
Not necessarily. FOX 13 spoke with Nick Huntington-Klein, associate professor of economics at Seattle University, who doubts the disruption will match the estimates. The real question, he says, is whether enough people take time off for it to be noticeable. He adds that survey intentions often differ from real behavior: the productivity harm implied by the surveys "will not be as big in real life".
The billion-dollar maths already circulated: see our piece on the "GTA flu" and that billion.
Logitech G, the gaming division of Logitech, decided to make November 19 a company holiday. Global general manager Robin Piispanen calls the launch a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" and says the firm would rather give the day off than make staff use vacation time and call in sick. We also covered French players taking leave and Pocketpair's five days off.
Read also GTA 6 job: Kalshi hires a researcher to play and study the game economy
FOX 13 adds the commercial context: Sensor Tower estimates preorders already passed $1 billion. It also flags scammers using fake GTA 6 early-access sites meant to steal up to $1,000 in cryptocurrency and install malware, according to Power Up Gaming.
Nothing changes for the launch itself: November 19 stands and the unlock time remains unknown. The figure does show how much anticipation surrounds the game, and it is a reminder to enter credentials only on official stores.
Sources fox13seattle.com
Reported Reported by the press, not confirmed by Rockstar
By Lara Rivolet · GTAVIFRANCE newsroom
Next articleGTA V sold 150,000 copies in 13 days of November, ahead of GTA 6
Reported 11/12/2026 21:23GTA 6 job: Kalshi hires a researcher to play and study the game economy
Reported 11/11/2026 05:13GTA 6 week: Logitech gives its 7,000 staff a paid day to play games
Reported 11/14/2026 13:08GTA 6 has gone gold, OpenCritic reports: development is complete
Reported 11/14/2026 12:41GTA 6 empathy: Rockstar says Jason and Lucia start as small-time crooks