Did explosion disrupt GTA 6 development? Rockstar North provides major update

Rockstar North, the Scottish game studio leading the development of Grand Theft Auto VI, has provided a major update after its office was hit by an explosion and fire on Monday, January 19.

A spokesperson had earlier confirmed to IGN that the “incident was due to a malfunction in a boiler on its premises.”

Providing an update on the incident, the company spokesperson said the studio has resumed its operations and that the explosion didn’t cause any harm to the staff.

The statement read, ”Please know that everyone is well and our studio remains open and operational.

'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."

Earlier, the Scottish publication The Herald reported that crews remained on-site for over four hours but have now left the scene.

According to Scottish Fire and Rescue Service officials, the Rockstar North office building was hit by a small explosion and fire that broke out at around 5 a.m. on Monday, January 19, when fire crew members were called for an incident at Barclay House, the building that housed Rockstar North, located on Holyrood Road in Edinburgh.

Responding to the emergency, a large number of resources were mobilized to the scene, with 7 vehicles from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

Rockstar Games’ Edinburgh studio has long been serving as the epicenter of the company’s core function, with development of every major GTA and Red Dead Redemption game happening inside the building.

Grand Theft Auto VI is set to release on November 19 this year.