A nasty bout of Grand Theft Auto flu is expected to hit tomorrow, forcing thousands of gamers to take a day off from work as they queue up to buy the latest GTA game from Rockstar.
Gaming website IGN.com found that 46% of gamers who took part in a poll had booked Tuesday off as holiday to get their hands on the game on the day of release. A further 19% said they would be calling in sick to work.
But for some lucky individuals, they have been able to play the game as early as Saturday as Amazon inadvertently shipped some pre-ordered copies prior to the September 17 release date.
The game cost £170m to make, more than James Cameron spent making Avatar, and is expected to be the biggest selling game of all time, shifting an estimated 25m copies within the year. Sales of the game could earn Rockstar £1bn in the next year.
The game will reportedly feature three separate protagonists: a retired bank robber turned family man, an up-and-coming street hustler and a trailer trash heist specialist.
True to form, the games are just as sexist as ever, featuring the now infamous GTA prostitutes that raise your character’s health. The Entertainment Software Rating Board also says the game will feature nudity in a lap dance scene, sex jokes and necrophilia. Nice.
The controversy continues with digital drug use in the form of characters smoking a bong, lighting a marijuana joint and using cocaine.
With at least 700 missions, those sick days may have to be extended. Watch out for any skivers at work tomorrow!
