Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled for release on Thursday, November 19. Data released by HR software provider BambooHR shows that paid leave requests submitted by U.S. employees for that day are 9% to 17% higher than the average for the same period in recent years.
These statistics come from U.S. employees at companies served by BambooHR. The company provides software services to over 30,000 businesses and stated that the rise in vacation requests was evident across all measurable time points.
However, BambooHR cannot confirm whether the increase in vacation requests was directly caused by the release of Grand Theft Auto VI. The company described the statistical results as a "real and consistently observable signal," but the data itself only indicates that the two events coincided in time.
Another title scheduled for release on November 19 is the early access game Witchfall. There is currently no data on vacation requests for the following Friday, so it is impossible to determine from existing information whether the trend will continue into the day before the weekend.
Grand Theft Auto VI will launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, featuring 34 original songs from the game, is also set for release on the same day and will be available as a physical record.