A US Army unit in Georgia is offering temporary access to the highly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI as a reenlistment bonus. The Army’s 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Fort Stewart has been offering a four-day pass to play GTA 6 when it releases in November to any soldier who signs a reenlistment contract between August 1st and November 14th.
According to CBS News, 20 soldiers have already chosen the incentive, which requires them to reenlist for at least two years and up to six years. The program is currently exclusive to the one battalion, but it could be expanded.
Army’s Incentives Program
“The idea was to have a unique incentives program that connects to what Soldiers are interested in,” said Lt. Col. Angel Tomko, a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division, in a statement. “The command team, in conjunction with the career counselor, wanted to get soldiers excited to reenlist.”
Army’s Esports Initiative
The Army has looked toward video games to increase recruitment in recent years. It launched an esports team in 2019 to compete in tournaments for shooter games like Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Fortnite.
Grand Theft Auto VI is set to arrive on November 19th. A digital-only release, it is now available for pre-order on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
In conclusion, the US Army’s unique incentives program offering temporary access to Grand Theft Auto VI has already shown promising results, with 20 soldiers reenlisting in exchange for the opportunity to play the highly-anticipated game. As the Army continues to explore new ways to increase recruitment and retention, it will be interesting to see if this program is expanded to other units and if other branches of the military follow suit.
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