Grand Theft Auto VI preorders have crossed $1 billion, according to a report from Sensor Tower.
On Monday, Take-Two didn’t say how many preorders had accummulated to date but it said that demand for GTA VI was extraordinary. The game launches on November 19 on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Preloading is now available to anyone who ordered digitally, with the file size at 207.7GB. Sensor Tower said its third-party number matches an estimated 10.31 million copies sold.
Meanwhile, new data from Deputy reveals how major video game releases can create unexpected staffing challenges for frontline employers, with absenteeism increasing nearly 9% among U.S. shift workers during a major public launch.
An analysis of Deputy’s U.S. shift-work data found that: hospitality saw the largest increase in absenteeism, jumping 32.4%, roughly 3.6 times the increase across all U.S. shift workers.
The company also said retail absenteeism increased 14.5%, making it the second most affected industry; and the disruption starts before launch day. Deputy found absenteeism is already elevated the day before blockbuster releases, pointing to a growing “download day” effect as employees take time off to install games before they go live.
Meanwhile, Enders Analysis said “the console landscape has darkened further over the last 12 months, largely due to the memory chip shortage, or “RAMageddon” shock for console components. That has constrained the supply of consoles and driven up costs for manufacturers, leading to higher prices for the consoles.
“Average console prices are higher than they have ever been, with tariff impacts making the problem even worse in the US market.
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