Employers at many companies have apparently learned their lesson about big video game launches, and none have a larger user base that Blizzard’s World of Warcraft. With the launch of Cataclysm at midnight, many employers are expecting a good number of call-offs and employees opting to take personal/vacation days.

As one HR rep told us, “We have seen this before with the last Warcraft release and with the Call of Duty release; and since it is popular with many of our employees, we expect a higher number of call-offs and employees using personal/vacation days to stay home and play Cataclysm, or maybe just sleep, since many of them might have already been up all night.”

One has to wonder how much a big release like this affects the productivity of a company. Apparently, while staffing levels might not be optimum, it is likely to go unnoticed by most consumers who might have to wait an extra minute on hold or a few seconds more at the checkout line with fewer lanes open. Most employers who have a number of employees that fit the typical gamer demographics must be happy that there is only one or two of these big releases per year.