O The incident comes at a sensitive time for Rockstar Games, which is facing delays in the launch of the video game and lawsuits from former employees.
A fire broke out in the early hours of Monday at the offices of Rockstar North, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the studio responsible for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI, following an alleged explosion in a boiler in the building.
Firefighters were called to the scene at 5:02 am local time, coinciding with mainland Portugal time, to intervene in the studio’s main building, located on Holyrood Road. The operation lasted for several hours, forcing authorities to establish a security perimeter in the area.
According to the the incident was said to have originated from an “explosion in the boiler room”. At that time, the building was practically empty, which would have prevented more serious consequences.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the incident: “We were alerted at 5:02am on Monday 19 January to an incident on Holyrood Road in Edinburgh. Three fire engines and specialist resources were mobilized, with teams working to ensure the structural safety of a commercial building.”
The same source added that there were no injuries and that the operators left the scene at 9:21.
So far, no details have been released about the extent of the material damage, nor whether the studio’s critical infrastructure, such as servers or workstations, were affected.
Still, the incident occurs at a sensitive time for Rockstar Games, at a time when GTA VI has been successively delayed and when the company is facing a lawsuit brought by former employees, who allege unfair dismissals.
For now, authorities do not indicate that the fire will have a direct impact on the development of the game. Taking into account the location of the explosion and the quick response of the emergency services, it is unlikely that this episode will further delay one of the most anticipated titles in the history of video games.
