Video game’s release could cost US economy $1B in lost productivity in just one day
This is no game.
The US economy could lose $1 billion in productivity in one day when the new “Grand Theft Auto” video game drops – as thousands call out sick and take vacation, experts said.
Companies are bracing as a frenzy builds around “Grand Theft Auto VI,” the latest installment in one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, which is set for a Nov. 19 release, according to a report by Spanish broadcaster Cadena SER.
Economic estimates predict as many as 1.5 million could be calling out on release day, according to the International Business Times.
Some workers even banked paid time off to spend launch day virtually in Vice City, the fictional Miami where the game takes place, with some companies even building the date into end-of-year packages as a perk, the Wall Street Journal reported
