Rockstar Games updates from the Edinburgh office

Rockstar Games, the studio behind the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6issued a statement after a small fire broke out at its Edinburgh headquarters today, confirming that no staff were injured and that the studio remains open and operational. While Rockstar Games has many offices scattered around the world, many of which will likely be hard at work contributing to the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6The studio's Edinburgh office, known as Rockstar North, is the company's headquarters for the new GTA games.

After fans have waited patiently for sixteen years, all eyes are on Rockstar as gamers eagerly await the release of the next entry in Grand Theft Auto series. However, this anticipation comes during a particularly turbulent chapter for the studio, as Rockstar ended 2025 by laying off many employees due to alleged leaks of details about Grand Theft Auto 6. The termination of 30+ is said to be the result of employees allegedly distributing and discussing confidential information, which included specific game features from upcoming and unannounced titles, in a public forum. Although unrelated, it comes after a massive leak in September 2022 that saw nearly 100 records from Grand Theft Auto 6 leaked online after someone outside the studio gained access to Rockstar's internal systems.

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Rockstar Games remains in business after Small Fire

Rockstar's bad luck seemed to continue today, January 19, when the studio's Edinburgh office experienced a small fire due to a “malfunction” in one of the building's boiler rooms. Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 5:00 GMT and left at around 9:21 GMT. As the fire broke out in the early hours of the morning, it was speculated that the building was probably vacant. Now, in a new statement to BNO News, a Rockstar spokesperson confirmed that there were no injuries. “A big thank you to those who came forward with concerns, as well as the police and fire teams who were on the scene to quickly assess the situation,” a Rockstar employee told the paper. They then indicated that it would not affect development Grand Theft Auto 6“Please know that everyone is doing well and our studio remains open and functional.”

It remains unclear how much damage the fire caused to the building, but it remains structurally intact as it appeared to be business as usual for Rockstar employees. A spokesman for the emergency services also told BNO News: “Operations Control mobilized three fire appliances and special resources to the scene where firefighters were working to contain the structural damage to the commercial building.”

One fan will soon see the inside of Rockstar's offices, as the studio's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has reportedly set up an internal playtest that will allow a terminally ill fan to experience Grand Theft Auto 6 ahead of its official release later this year. A developer at Ubisoft reached out to the studio after learning that a close family member only had 6-12 months to live and was huge Grand Theft Auto fan and doesn't have to be around to see the next installment in the series. A follow-up post by the developer, which has since been deleted, said that Take-Two's CEO had reached out and that they had received “great news.”

Rather unexpectedly, Grand Theft Auto 6 has already been delayed several times. The highly-anticipated next entry was first slated for a fall 2025 release after a trailer was released in December 2023. To absolutely no one's surprise, that date was eventually pushed back to May 26, 2026. It didn't take long for fans to speculate about a potential second delay, which was confirmed by Rockstar in November 2025. Grand Theft Auto 6 it will launch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19, 2026. However, as one of the most anticipated video games of all time, coupled with Rockstar's constant desire for perfection, it wouldn't be that much of a surprise if the title made it to 2027.