Rockstar North Confirms Studio 'Operational' Following Early Morning Explosion

Image Credit: Rockstar Games

Early Monday morning, an explosion rocked Rockstar North's Edinburgh headquarters, sending emergency services rushing to the Grand Theft Auto developer’s offices on Holyrood Road.

The incident occurred just after 5 am local time on January 19th, when the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service received an alert about a situation. Operations Control quickly mobilised three fire appliances along with specialist resources to assess and handle the emergency.

Fire crews remained on scene for approximately four hours, working to secure structural damage before departing around 9:21 am. The good news is that no casualties were reported during the incident.

While early reports suggested the cause might have been an “explosion in a boiler room,” Rockstar later clarified the situation.

In a statement to IGN, the company said, “Early Monday morning, there was a malfunction in one of the heating boilers at Rockstar North. Many thanks to those that reached out with concern, and also to the police and fire crews who were on scene quickly to assess the situation – please know that everyone is well and our studio remains open and operational.”

This reassurance is welcome news for fans, especially given Rockstar North’s central role in developing Grand Theft Auto VI, which is currently scheduled for release in November 2026 after facing two delays.

This incident comes during a complicated period for Rockstar North, as the company currently faces legal proceedings with the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain. The union represents 31 former employees who were dismissed last year, with Rockstar claiming the staff members shared confidential information about GTA 6 and other unannounced projects via Discord.

The IWGB has countered these claims by accusing Rockstar of union-busting, leading to protests at the Edinburgh offices last November and ongoing legal battles. A judge at Glasgow Employment Tribunal recently rejected the union's request for interim relief in the case.

However, there is absolutely no indication of any connection between the boiler malfunction and these ongoing labor disputes. The incident appears to have been purely a mechanical failure that emergency services handled professionally and efficiently.