The studio behind one of gaming’s most anticipated releases found itself at the center of unexpected drama overnight. Rockstar North, the longtime home of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, was impacted by an emergency incident that drew fire crews to its Edinburgh headquarters in the early hours of Monday morning.
Emergency services were called to the Holyrood Road building at around 5.02am local time following reports of an explosion in a boiler room.
Multiple fire appliances and specialist resources attended the scene, where crews worked for several hours to make the commercial property safe.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed firefighters were deployed to secure structural damage inside the building. Thankfully, there were no reported casualties, and crews departed shortly after 9.20am once the situation was brought under control.
The Edinburgh office has long served as the creative heart of Rockstar Games, housing development on every major Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption title. Most recently, it has also been the focus of public protests tied to a dispute over staff layoffs, claims the company has previously denied.
As of writing, it remains unclear whether the building will reopen today or how the incident could affect work on ‘GTA 6,’ which is currently scheduled for release later this year following multiple delays. Rockstar has not yet issued a public statement.