GoKawiilRipple effect: If you own a current-gen console, there's a chance you're one of many people who have booked time off work on November 19. That's when GTA 6 launches, and one company is apparently going to be so impacted by the number of missing employees on that day that it's issuing an operational pause.
Automotive parts and tuning company Burger Motorsports posted what it says is an Internal Company Notice on Instagram recently.
Addressed to all staff, customers, dealers, and partners, it states that after reviewing multiple employee scheduling conflicts, management has decided that normal business operations may be impacted due to the release of Grand Theft Auto 6.
The message adds that several team members have already notified management that they will be unavailable, unreachable, and/or "in Vice City" for the duration of the day.
The letter ends thanking readers for their patience and understanding during this "unprecedented cultural event."
Given that Burger Motorsports chose to publish this notice on Instagram, there is a chance that it's merely a publicity stunt (which has worked). But there's no denying that plenty of businesses will be short-staffed come November 19.
In related news, a new GTA 6 teaser has dropped, though the only things it reveals are the game's cover art and the preorder date. Anyone who wants to secure a copy ahead of time – and there are likely to be plenty – can do so from June 25.
The cover art, meanwhile, follows the same design and style as the other titles in the series, going all the way back to GTA 3 in 2001. Interestingly, one element that has remained in place for the last quarter of a century is the inclusion of a helicopter in the top-left panel of the grid – though it wasn't included in international versions of GTA 3.
For PC players, of course, November 19 is going to be like any other day. A version for the platform still hasn't been announced. According to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, the reason is because PC gamers aren't the series' "core" audience and they spend less on GTA Online.