Study Estimates Broad Absence Across the UK
RockstarINTEL reports that Uswitch conducted a study sampling 1,000 British employees who self-identify with video games, estimating roughly 2.56 million workers absent on November 19, 2026. The study notes that one in four respondents expects to mention GTA 6 to colleagues on release day and another quarter anticipate post-release fatigue. Aggregating the data across an estimated nearly 34.5 million UK workforce produces about 1.68 million paid leave days plus roughly 890,000 claims of illness. The study frames these figures as a measure of the game's cultural economic impact rather than confirmed workplace strikes. The sample is explicitly UK-focused, though RockstarINTEL separately references an earlier Uswitch estimate for American employees exceeding $1 billion in expected losses, which remains unconfirmed by a primary source beyond the original study.
Publications Frame Numbers As Cultural Economic Effect
The headline and body copy drawn from RockstarINTEL describe the stakes as colossal by treating the UK figure as a forward-looking cultural indicator tied to Rockstar Games' brand presence. The outlet characterizes the economic representation as especially notable because Rockstar Games is a British company headquartered in London. According to the reported study, the aggregate work lost across all categories amounts to more than 13.4 million hours for a single day, with expected losses placed around 400 million pounds. The outlet stops short of calling any absence a worker strike or confirming actual usage, presenting figures as the study's projection based on self-reported behavior among gamers. The reliability note acknowledges possible overestimation or underestimation, but does not explain the original methodology outside the summary provided.
Sources and notes
Claims, reports, leaks and rumors are attributed to their original sources. Unconfirmed information is labeled clearly and should not be read as established fact.
- GTA 6 Has Millions Of People Skipping Work On Launch Day, Study Finds (rockstarintel.com)
