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US Army unit grants soldiers 4-day pass to play Grand Theft Auto VI — there's just one little catch

The Blaze
2 weeks 5 days ago


The cost of recruitment seems to be getting with the times.

A unique offer has been pushed out by a U.S. Army unit in Georgia involving the release of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI game, and it's surprisingly had some success already.

'The command team ... wanted to get soldiers excited to re-enlist.'

Fort Stewart in Georgia is home to the Army's 9th Brigade Engineering Battalion, and the unit also seems particularly keen on playing the new video game.

That's the logic behind the latest recruiting offer aimed at keeping soldiers in the forces for years to come.

Recently, federal officials told CBS News that the unit in Georgia was offering active-duty soldiers a four-day pass to play the game when it comes out in November, but only under the condition that they extend their contract with the military.

As reported by IGN, about 130 soldiers are eligible to extend their contract and receive time off after the November 19 release of the game, according to a copy of an Army memo circulating online.

"Any soldier who signs a re-enlistment contract between" August 1 and November 14 will be "authorized for a special four-day pass," the memo stated.

The memo was signed by commanding officer Lt. Col. Ryan Hodgson.

"This special pass is specifically designated to coincide with the highly anticipated release of the video game Grand Theft Auto VI," the memo added.

It may come as a shock to some readers, but the gamble has already paid off.

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As of late August, at least 20 soldiers have taken advantage of the incentive and decided to extend their military contract, trading the four days of eye-and-thumb-blistering gaming for an extension of their service.

"The idea was to have a unique incentives program that connects to what soldiers are interested in," Lt. Col. Angel Tomko, a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division, told CBS News. "The command team, in conjunction with the career counselor, wanted to get soldiers excited to re-enlist."

The aforementioned memo said it hoped to promote "retention, boost morale, and reward the continued dedication" of the soldiers in that battalion.

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Stephen Morton/Getty Images

According to trading platform Polymarket, GTA VI could trigger a $1 billion deficit to the U.S. economy when it launches due to worker inactivity.

Economic analysis page Cost of America estimated that if around 1.5 million workers called in sick for work upon the game's launch, the billion-dollar deficit could become true.

A GameSquare survey showed that out of 1,000 respondents, 100 said they would be skipping work on launch day (10%), while another 300 (30%) said they were considering it.

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Andrew Chapados