5-star alert at Rockstar North's Edinburgh HQ as emergency services respond to 'structural damage' caused by an exploding boiler

News
By published

There were no casualties.

The front of the Rockstar North HQ in Holyrood, Edinburgh.
(Image credit: Thomas Ortega via Getty Images)

Seven Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) vehicles attended Rockstar North HQ in Edinburgh this morning, after an explosion rocked the building at around 5am local time. The fire crews spent around three hours securing the scene, with a cordon put in place around the building. No-one was injured during the incident.

"We were alerted at 5:02am on Monday, 19 January to attend an incident on Holyrood Road, Edinburgh," a SFRS spokesperson told The Herald.

An alternative take on the Rockstar logo.

(Image credit: Rockstar)

A Rockstar North spokesman said that the explosion was down to a "malfunction" in one of the building's heating boilers.

"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," he said. "Everyone is well and our studio remains open and operational."

Rockstar North is currently working on Grand Theft Auto 6, which is due to be released on consoles in November following two delays. The studio has also recently been embroiled in a controversy over alleged union busting after firing 30 employees working on the game, an ongoing dispute that even UK PM Keir Starmer described last month as "a deeply concerning case."

Rich Stanton
Rich Stanton
Senior Editor

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.