The internet spent the past week believing that Rockstar North was under a government-backed police protection program — armed escorts, 24/7 patrols, and a level of security rivaling a military installation. Police Scotland says none of that is true.
In a statement to LADbible, Police Scotland confirmed just one incident at the Rockstar North office on Holyrood Road in Edinburgh: on May 26, officers responded to a report of men filming outside the building. They attended, found no criminal activity, gave advice, and moved on.
Truth vs. Viral Exaggeration
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| YouTubers entered Rockstar North lobby | Confirmed by video footage |
| Police took YouTubers' ID at hotel | Consistent with May 26 incident report |
| "Special police protection program" | Not true — Police Scotland found no evidence |
| Police patrols every 20-30 minutes | Not confirmed — Holyrood Rd is near Parliament |
| 50-60 security cameras on building | Unverified — may include neighboring properties |
| Police escorts for senior staff | Not true |
| 24/7 armed police in lobby | Not true — lobby security is private, not police |
The dramatic claims originated from a German YouTuber, ÜberGaming, whose crew entered Rockstar North and had police visit their hotel that same week. The video presented routine security responses as extraordinary government-backed measures, and audiences accepted it without fact-checking.
To be fair, Rockstar has genuine reasons for heightened security. The 2022 source code breach changed the studio's information security permanently. Since then, the studio has fired 34 employees for allegedly sharing confidential information and reportedly will not send review codes to journalists anymore.
"The reality versus what went viral is the perfect example of how GTA 6 hype distorts information in real time."
The lesson: GTA 6 news travels fast, but fact-checking travels slow. By the time Police Scotland corrected the record, millions had already seen the exaggerated version.