MANILA, Philippines — Actor Paulo Avelino had fans doing a double take after he seemingly announced that he would be stepping away from showbiz—but it turns out he simply has some very important gaming plans.
Avelino posted a message addressed to his fans, fellow Filipinos, and the people he has worked with, claiming that he would be leaving movies, teleseryes, and endorsements effective October 31.
“After a lot of prayer and some hard conversations at home, I’m stepping away from everything effective October 31. The movies, the teleserye, all my endorsements. Everything,” he wrote.
The dramatic announcement, however, quickly took a hilarious turn.
Avelino revealed that his supposed career break was prompted by the upcoming release of “Grand Theft Auto VI” (GTA 6) and the highly anticipated version 1.0 launch of “Path of Exile 2.”
“GTA 6 is out November 19. PoE 2 hits 1.0 on December 11, and they finally added swords. I watched the Extended Look last night and I have not been okay since,” he said.
He even brought his supposed legal troubles into the joke, telling his legal counsel to inform anyone planning to sue him that they would have to wait until March 2027.
“To my legal counsel, please tell everyone lining up to sue me that I’m available March 2027. I’ll have 100% GTA completion and a build nobody can touch by then. Sue me at my peak,” Avelino quipped.
He then ended the post with a message that reassured fans that his “hiatus” would not last forever.
“Wag niyo ako i-tag sa clips. Babalik din ako. Basta. God bless po (Please don’t tag me in the clips. I’ll be back anyway. God bless.)” he wrote.
Avelino’s hilarious announcement came after Netflix released an extended look at the gameplay of “Grand Theft Auto VI,” which has been one of the most anticipated video game releases in recent years.
While Avelino’s opening message initially sounded like a serious showbiz exit, his subsequent comments made his real “priority” clear: he apparently just needs enough time to finish GTA 6 and build an unbeatable character in Path of Exile 2.
For now, fans can breathe easy the actor isn’t really retiring. He’s just apparently booked and busy… gaming.
