Build A Rocket Boy, the studio behind the 2025 open-world action-adventure game MindsEye, has reportedly gone through another major round of layoffs, signaling deeper trouble for the company as it continues trying to recover from the game’s disastrous launch.
According to a new report, more than 170 employees were let go within the past week. That steep reduction reportedly drops the studio to roughly 80 staff, down from a peak headcount of around 250. It also marks the third wave of redundancies in about a year, underscoring how prolonged and serious the fallout has been since MindsEye arrived.
MindsEye launched in June 2025 for Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, and quickly became one of the most heavily criticized releases of the year. Reviews were extremely poor, with the game landing in the low 30s to 40s range on Metacritic. Players and critics pointed to widespread issues across the board, including story problems, weak gameplay, technical performance, and an overall lack of polish. The backlash was so intense that some platforms reportedly began offering refunds, an early warning sign of how rough the game’s commercial road would be.
The studio itself was founded in October 2018 by Leslie Benzies, best known as the former president of Rockstar North. But instead of stabilizing after launch, Build A Rocket Boy has remained trapped in ongoing turbulence. Leadership, particularly co-CEO Mark Gerhard, has repeatedly claimed that MindsEye’s failure wasn’t only due to launch-day problems. He has also blamed “organized espionage and corporate sabotage,” suggesting both internal and external interference played a role. Those allegations have continued to hang over the studio as it restructures and searches for a path forward.
The business side has also shifted dramatically. MindsEye was initially published through a partnership with IO Interactive Partners, but that publishing arrangement ended in March 2026. Following that split, Build A Rocket Boy reportedly moved to self-publishing, adding even more pressure while the company attempted to rebuild trust and keep the game alive.
Despite the turmoil, the studio has continued releasing patches and discussing additional content. Plans have included expansions and multiplayer-related features tied to its ARCADIA system, as the team works to improve the game’s state after launch. At the same time, the studio has said it is pursuing its sabotage claims with legal advisors, keeping the narrative of external interference central to its explanation of what went wrong.
However, the situation has also been complicated by internal controversy. Employees have described a workplace environment plagued by secrecy and micromanagement. In April 2026, unionized staff represented by the IWGB Game Workers Union filed a lawsuit against the studio. They alleged that management secretly installed surveillance software on work devices without consent, and that it recorded activity even while employees were at home. The surveillance was reportedly tied to efforts to investigate the claimed sabotage, but it sparked serious privacy concerns and calls for transparency about what data was collected and how it was used.
As the latest layoffs hit, multiple former employees have publicly confirmed their departures on LinkedIn. At the time of the most recent reports, the studio had not issued a full public statement addressing the newest cuts.
With repeated layoffs, ongoing legal disputes, and leadership doubling down on claims of sabotage, Build A Rocket Boy appears to be in a difficult fight for stability. Even as the studio continues to patch and expand MindsEye, the shrinking workforce and unresolved internal tensions suggest the road ahead remains uncertain.
