Palworld Developer Pocketpair Grants Staff Five Days Paid Leave for GTA 6 Launch
Tokyo-based independent video game studio Pocketpair stated that it is granting all employees five consecutive days of company leave to coincide with the global launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, according to IGN. According to reporting from IGN and PC Gamer, the studio humorously designated the corporate holiday as an urgent five-day business trip to Vice City starting on November 19. In an official internal memorandum distributed to studio staff, company leadership acknowledged that millions of players globally would be distracted from work duties on launch day. The memo stated that the release of the long-awaited open-world sequel represents a historic milestone within interactive entertainment that merits full community attention.
The authorized holiday period begins on the game's release date of November 19, and concludes on November 23. During this multi-day window, studio personnel are fully excused from their regular workplace responsibilities to explore the virtual setting. Studio founder and chief executive officer Takuro Mizobe posted on social media platform X that he would personally take time away from office duties to experience the title. While the leave encompasses a weekend, granting three working days off alleviates the need for employees to submit individual paid-time-off requests or invent doctor appointments. Pocketpair reassured its gaming community that ongoing development roadmaps and maintenance updates for its popular titles Palworld and Craftopia will continue as scheduled. Palworld reached an all-time peak of 2,101,867 concurrent players on Steam on 27 January 2024, according to SteamDB. An engineer battalion at Fort Stewart in Georgia offered soldiers four days of leave tied to the release of GTA 6 as an incentive to re-enlist for four years, according to Inven Global.
The game developer is not alone in accommodating workforce enthusiasm surrounding Rockstar Games' upcoming blockbuster release. Logitech declared a corporate holiday titled Logi Game Day for its 7,000 employees globally on November 19. Logitech leadership framed the initiative around recognizing the cognitive and professional benefits associated with video gaming. Robin Piispanen, general manager of the Logitech G gaming division, remarked that staff members remain free to play any interactive title they select during the company holiday. In February 2025, Pocketpair designated February 28, the release date of Capcom's Monster Hunter Wilds, as a company-wide holiday after staff reported they might be feeling unwell, according to Inven Global.
A new report found that Grand Theft Auto 6 has caused a 17% spike in people requesting time off work, according to IGN. Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to launch worldwide on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S consoles.