GTA 6 Launch Impacts Global Economy, Internet, and Industry Sales
As the GTA 6 release date approaches in just over a week, countries and industries worldwide are preparing for massive economic impacts, record-breaking sales, and internet strain.
Video by Dylan Page. Watch on YouTube.
The world is rapidly approaching the release of GTA 6, with the launch now officially just over one week away. According to Dylan Page, the game is set to impact global economies, entertainment industries, and internet infrastructure in unprecedented ways.
Economic Impact and Time Off
Countries around the world are seeing massive spikes in time-off requests as workers prepare for launch day.
- In America, an HR company looking at 3.4 million workers found that launch day requests are about 13% higher than normal, with roughly one in five surveyed workers openly planning to take release day off.
- Australia's government issued an official notice on how to get time off for the game.
- In the UK, one HR company found 83,000 days already booked off for GTA-related reasons.
- An economist estimated that GTA 6 could cost the US economy around $1 billion in lost productivity.
Despite potential productivity losses, launch week sales are forecast to reach between $3 billion and $5.2 billion. Both Xbox and PlayStation report that the title is the most pre-ordered game in history, driving up PS5 sales by 33% and Xbox sales by 34% following its Netflix reveal.
Technical Demands and Industry Shifts
PlayStation has noted unprecedented demand, requiring up to nine days for pre-downloads to prevent servers from crashing. Australia's National Broadband Network warned the title could set a world record for total download volume.
- Storage Requirements: At a 212GB download size, average PS5 consoles will only hold two or three games alongside it, forcing millions to delete titles like Fortnite or Call of Duty.
- No Physical Discs: The game features no physical discs, raising questions about the future of physical game stores.
- Hollywood and Music: The GTA 6 trailer became the second most viewed trailer of any kind within a day, beaten only by Spider-Man Brand New Day. Additionally, artists featured in the extended trailer saw Spotify listeners jump 670% week-on-week and Instagram followers rise 976%.
To celebrate the launch, Dylan Page, Alex, and a special guest will take the work week off news to livestream for over 120 hours, attempting to be the first in the world to beat GTA 6 by cheating, exclusively on YouTube.
What players are saying
Viewers shared plenty of humor and observations about the upcoming release in the comments. Many joked that crime rates will plummet or that murderers won't want to be locked up when the game drops. Others quipped that teachers are calling in sick, AI will be too busy playing to help users, and joked that a South Park episode about the release is bound to happen.