An important alert was triggered this Monday January 19, 2026 around 5:02 a.m. in the Holyrood district in Edinburghin the United Kingdom. According to several witnesses and emergency services, an explosion occurred near the studio offices Rockstar Norththe development team behind the Grand Theft Auto series, leading to the rapid intervention of firefighters and the police cordoning off the area.
Scottish Emergency Services mobilized several units following the call, but despite the scale of the operation, no injuries or casualties have been reported at this stage. The incident caused a heavy presence of law enforcement for several hours this morning.
Emergency services mobilized after the explosion
According to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), the response to the call was immediate. An SFRS spokesperson told Edinburgh Live: “I can confirm that we received a call at 5.02am this morning. We mobilized three pump trucks and four of our specialized vehicles. The intervention is ongoing and we are still on site with other services. »
Although emergency services have not yet determined the precise cause of the explosion, several local sources suggest a possible explosion in a boiler room located not far from Rockstar’s offices. The teams remained on site for approximately three hoursuntil 9:21 a.m.in order to secure the entire perimeter.
Rockstar North studio temporarily closed
The offices of Rockstar Northlocated in Barclay House on Holyrood Road in Edinburghwere cordoned off by the police during the security operation. The area surrounding the studio, which has been home to the team since 2014, was closed to the public and monitored by law enforcement until the situation was deemed under control.
Rockstar North has been the historic developer of the Grand Theft Auto series since 1998. The studio has also worked on other major titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and is currently approaching the final year of development for Grand Theft Auto VIscheduled for worldwide release on November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 And Xbox Series X/S.
Background and history of the studio in Edinburgh
The building that houses Rockstar North was built in 1999 to house The Scotsman newspaper before the developer moved there in 2014 after several decades of existence, notably under the name of DMA Design of the 1988 in Dundee, Scotland. Rockstar North became known internationally thanks to the Grand Theft Auto saga which marked the history of video games.
After several date postponements – initially planned for 2025, then postponed to May 2026 before being postponed again — GTA VI is now expected to be one of the most important launches in the video game industry in next November.