I'm sure many of us have our calendars marked “conveniently ill” on November 19th, just in time for GTA 6 (don't tell my boss – who, I'm sure, will also be “conveniently ill”), but not everyone has to fabricate a doctor's note and a stuffy, nasally excuse over work.
Earlier this month, an auto parts manufacturer called “Burger Motorsports” announced that it will be closing its doors for the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, leaving all of its employees to spend the day cruising through Vice City, and now a Lebanese fast food joint – Fries Lab – has confirmed on Instagram that it will be doing the same.
“Chat, we waited over a decade for this,” the post reads. “Fries Lab will be closed while we handle some very important business in Vice City.”
I was going to order a hamburger from Fries Lab to celebrate them giving their staff a day off (and the resilience of the owners in rebuilding after the restaurant was bombed in the war), but according to Google Maps it would be a 52-hour drive. Maybe not. Again, those hot wings…
At least the release date feels set in stone, this time
I'm sure there are tons of people out there who tried to book time off for GTA 6 when it was scheduled for its original window, only for the game to be delayed over and over again. It's quite fun to see companies hitting their employees hard this time. With pre-orders going live next week – and Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick repeatedly assuring fans that this November date won't budge – things are looking more solid than ever.
We're being a bit heavy-handed and highlighting the places that have decided to close their doors for GTA 6 and give their employees a whole day before the weekend to jump right in, but it really speaks to the cultural gravitas that GTA 6 is becoming. It's no wonder so many developers walk around November like it's a kid on a sugar rush flying an oppressor through the lobby.
The community, as Fries Lab rightly pointed out, has been waiting over ten years for a follow-up to GTA 5, which has only added to the hype. And while it may be an 18+, let's face it, this will be the first new Grand Theft Auto release in an entire generation. There are sure to be kids calling in sick at school, employees asking their boss for a day off, and a lot of pizza orders to celebrate – if you're in Lebanon, maybe grab a burger from FriesLab when they reopen, eh?
