Here is what the page “GTA 6 Launch Could Cost U.S. Economy $1 Billion as 1.5 Million Workers Call in Sick” contains. The release of Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto 6 on November 19 may trigger a wave of absenteeism across America, with an economics professor projecting that 1.5 million workers will call in sick to play the game. José García Montalvo estimates the economic impact at roughly $1 billion, based on an average annual salary of $70,000 per worker. Interestingly, Take-Two Interactive, the game's publisher, is expected to earn the same amount on launch day, meaning the money is essentially shifting from the broader economy to a single corporation.
This isn't an official forecast, but the phenomenon has precedent. When Grand Theft Auto 5 launched in 2013, an IGN poll found that 46% of respondents planned to take a day off for 'GTA flu.' While that poll was self-selected, it highlighted the cultural pull of Rockstar's titles. The full version stays on the original page, which this listing opens directly.