# Why your coworker is calling in sick this November

> Three major video game releases in November are driving a spike in PTO requests, with some workers choosing to call in sick instead.
- Title: Why your coworker is calling in sick this November | Shortify
- Summary: Three major video game releases in November are driving a spike in PTO requests, with some workers choosing to call in sick instead.
- Keywords: grand theft auto 6, world of warcraft forever, the legend of zelda ocarina of time, video game releases, pto requests, workplace productivity, gaming culture, Business Insider
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/pto-sick-days-wow-forever-gta-6-zelda-ocarina-time-2026-11
- Author: Ben Shimkus
- Published: 2026-11-06T11:00:02.453+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: grand theft auto 6, world of warcraft forever, the legend of zelda ocarina of time, video game releases, pto requests, workplace productivity, gaming culture, business, technology
## Three games, one month
November brings three major video game releases. World of Warcraft: Forever debuted Wednesday. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launched Thursday. Grand Theft Auto 6 arrives November 19 after a thirteen year buildup.
## What these games are
World of Warcraft: Forever is a subscription-based version of the massively multiplayer game set in a revamped original fantasy world.
## GTA 6 is a singularity event
Omar Soliman, cofounder of College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving, told Business Insider: "I can't think of an entertainment vehicle or video game that's captured the zeitgeist of the young generation like this one."

> I can't think of an entertainment vehicle or video game that's captured the zeitgeist of the young generation like this one.
## PTO requests are spiking
Workforce management tech company UKG said time-off requests for the week of GTA 6's release are up roughly twenty percent compared to the same week in previous years.
## The gender gap in gaming time off
In a Zety survey of one thousand forty American workers, eleven percent were planning to take time off for GTA 6's release.
## Some are calling in sick instead
Jasmine Escalera, a Ph.D.career expert, said PTO is meant to help workers replenish and feel good.

> PTO is meant to replenish, relax, and do whatever you need to do to feel good.
## Players are openly planning time off
The official World of Warcraft account posted on X asking if followers were taking November 4 off.Nearly sixty percent of respondents said yes.

> Are you taking November 4 off?
## Some employers are embracing it
James Killick, a media relations manager at UK-based Raptor PR, requested November 19 off months ago to play GTA 6.

> It's something to celebrate.
## Key takeaway

Three major video game releases in November are causing a surge in time-off requests, with some workers calling in sick rather than using PTO.