Burger Motorsports, a specialty car-parts manufacturer based in Simi Valley, Southern California, announced on Instagram a temporary company-wide operational pause on Thursday, November 19, the same day Take-Two Interactive is scheduled to release Grand Theft Auto VI.
The memo, addressed to staff, customers, dealers and partners, cited multiple employee scheduling conflicts tied to the launch. Several team members had already notified management that they would be unavailable, unreachable, or in Vice City for the duration of the day, in reference to the fictional city where the game is set.
After reviewing multiple employee scheduling conflicts, management has determined that normal business operations may be impacted due to the release of Grand Theft Auto VI.
Several team members have already notified management that they will be unavailable, unreachable, and/or 'in Vice City' for the duration of the day.
The notice warned that departments including engineering, social media and general productivity may experience delays. It also stated operations would resume once employees have completed their initial exploration, finished at least one mission, and returned to reality.
The company later acknowledged the announcement was a joke, describing the post as a playful, tongue-in-cheek nod to excitement around the release.
We posted the 'pause operations for GTA VI' announcement as a playful, tongue-in-cheek nod to the excitement around the release.
Burger Motorsports is operating normally, and customers can rely on our usual order processing and support. It was simply meant to give the community a laugh.
Grand Theft Auto VI is due for release in November following several earlier delays, as fans have waited more than a decade for the next entry. Grand Theft Auto V launched in 2013 and has sold over 200 million copies, making it one of the best-selling video games ever.
