The boss of the publisher behind Grand Theft Auto and other popular games has bought a historic Edinburgh church.

St Stephen's Church was put on the market last year by the Church of Scotland for offers of over £500,000.

The Church said at the time that the decision was made to sell because the historic Georgian building was "surplus to the requirements of the local congregation".

The church dates back to the 1820s and was designed by Edinburgh architect William Henry Playfair.

It has been used as a community centre for the last two decades. 

The president of Rockstar North, which publishes the phenomenally successful Grand Theft Auto franchise, Leslie Benzies has stepped in to preserve the building for community use. 

A spokesman for Benzies, known as the Godfather of Gaming, told the Edinburgh Evening News that it was "an entirely philanthropic purchase" to retain St Stephen's for community use.  

The building boasts a 160ft tower with the longest clock pendulum in Europe and an 800-capacity hall that has become a popular venue for the Edinburgh Fringe festival. 

Benzies is the lead developer in the Grand Theft Auto series and is a resident of the Stockbridge area of Edinburgh, where St Stephen's is situated.