MindsEye Development Controversy and Corporate Sabotage Claims Explained

When Build A Rocket Boy (BARB) introduced its first game, MindsEye, they were aiming to make a big impression. It wasn’t just presented as a typical action game; it was meant to showcase Everywhere, a highly ambitious platform where players could create their own content—some early reports even compared it to a more advanced version of Roblox. This bold vision attracted over $100 million in funding and positioned BARB as a rising star in the world of major game development. However, with MindsEye, the greater the hype, the more disappointing the result proved to be.

Leslie Benzies, the founder of MindsEye and a former president of Rockstar North (known for producing popular Grand Theft Auto games), and Mark Gerhard, his co-CEO and a fellow industry expert, were the public figures representing the company’s goals. Over about nine months, they became embroiled in a strange and increasingly complicated controversy. Problems with the game started well before it launched and have since developed into an ongoing, multi-layered issue.

Pre-Launch Warning Signs and Early Sabotage Claims

Early warning signs appeared during a pre-release Q&A on Discord, where studio leaders hinted that some of the negative feedback wasn’t genuine. According to Gerhard, they suspected automated accounts (or ‘bot farms’) were used to increase the number of negative comments about the game, MindsEye. This created a strange situation where the studio was simultaneously trying to market the game and defend against claims of sabotage.

Just before the game was released, concerns grew when news surfaced that several leaders had left Build A Rocket Boy. This was the first sign of trouble within the company, and it happened at a particularly sensitive time. The timing led people to wonder about how well the game, MindsEye, was finished and what problems the developers had faced, and the fact that few review copies were available only fueled the speculation.

Mindseye Launch Reception and Technical Criticisms

When MindsEye was released in June 2025, it received immediate and mostly negative feedback. Reviewers and players pointed to numerous bugs, frequent crashes, poor performance on all systems, and gameplay that felt unfinished or didn’t quite fit together, especially considering the game’s ambitious scope. It ended up with a score of 37 on Metacritic – the lowest of any game released that year – and some PlayStation players received refunds.

Layoffs and Claims of Internal Sabotage

Almost right away, the company started layoffs. Reports showed Build A Rocket Boy was letting go of hundreds of employees as part of a larger reorganization. However, those who remained at the company soon faced additional challenges.

A BBC report from October 2025 stated that after the game launched, Benzies told employees he believed internal “saboteurs” contributed to its failure. This claim was badly received by staff who had already worked long hours under intense pressure to finish MindsEye. For many, it wasn’t just a disappointment anymore, but a deeply upsetting accusation.

Disagreement with leadership became public, with developers publishing an open letter requesting apologies from Benzies and Gerhard. They claimed there had been a long history of disrespect, poor management, and unfair handling of layoffs. Following the letter’s release, former analyst Ben Newbon reported that employees had endured months of intense crunch time before the game’s launch, leading to serious health problems. He also stated that blame for the failed launch was being unfairly assigned.

Instead of owning up to the game’s problems, studio leaders are claiming that someone intentionally damaged it.

Employee Criticism and Union Involvement

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain has reportedly taken legal action against Build a Rocket Boy regarding the way layoffs were conducted. Former employees have described the company’s development process as reactive and impulsive, with leadership frequently changing team priorities during projects. This shifting focus, they say, led to a lack of overall direction and contributed to the project’s difficulties.

Escalation of the Sabotage Narrative and Separation from Publisher

By February 2026, Benzies was said to be taking a break to rest, and reports suggested the studio’s claims of outside interference were becoming more detailed and concerning. Insider Gaming reported that Gerhard had told employees the studio had strong evidence of planned spying and sabotage. He claimed a US company had spent over $1 million to harm the commercial success of MindsEye, working with a UK-based company to do so. This allegedly involved using bots and coordinated efforts to influence what people thought.

IO Interactive, the international publisher for the game, announced in March 2026 that it was no longer working with Build A Rocket Boy and had given the publishing rights back to the developer. IO Interactive’s CEO, Hakan Abrak, had previously stated the company wasn’t involved in any intentional disruption. At the same time, reports showed that Build A Rocket Boy’s studio in Montpellier, France, was facing legal closure, suggesting growing problems within the company.

The planned collaboration between IO Interactive and Build A Rocket Boy, which would have included content from the Hitman series, has been canceled due to the companies’ separation.

The “Blacklist” Update and Narrative Escalation

The story took an even stranger turn when details emerged about a planned in-game mission. This mission, apparently built using assets from the Hitman collaboration, would directly address the claims of sabotage. Gerhard later confirmed this in a March 2026 interview, stating that a post-launch mission called Blacklist would be used to reveal some of the alleged sabotage evidence to players.

Gerhard stated that authorities in both the UK and the US are currently investigating the sabotage, but the studio is holding off on further public statements due to ongoing legal matters. Using a game’s story to address claims of real-world corporate espionage is a highly unusual approach.

What Remains to Be Seen

The situation with MindsEye remains unclear, but Gerhard has admitted the game launched with significant problems. In an interview with GamesBeat, he called it “without doubt, the worst launch in history,” while also suggesting outside interference contributed to the failures. This explanation has been met with doubt from former staff, journalists, and players, particularly because it doesn’t address accusations of internal sabotage.

It’s clear that Build A Rocket Boy plans to continue working on its vision for the Everywhere platform, despite having a smaller team now. According to Gerhard in a GamesBeat interview, the ultimate goal is to allow players to easily create their own content and experiences, without needing to be game developers. Whether the features promised in the Blacklist update will actually appear, the ongoing legal issues will become clearer, or if MindsEye will find an audience, remains to be seen.

2026-04-06 00:07