Build A Rocket Boy, the studio behind the poorly received game MindsEye, is facing further difficulties. Reports indicate that around 170 developers have been laid off this week, just after the release of the game’s first downloadable content. The studio hasn’t officially confirmed these layoffs.
Build A Rocket Boy launched in 2016, led by Leslie Benzies, a former president of Rockstar North known for his work on the Grand Theft Auto series. Given his experience, many in the gaming industry had high hopes for the studio. However, their debut game, MindsEye, was a major failure. Critics and players alike disliked it, citing a bland setting, weak storyline, and numerous technical problems. Ultimately, MindsEye became the lowest-rated game of 2025, receiving a dismal score of 39 on Metacritic.
MindsEye Studio Build A Rocket Boy Suffers More Layoffs
After the poor reception of their game, MindsEye, Build A Rocket Boy has faced multiple rounds of layoffs. They first cut staff in June 2025, and again in March 2026. This week, another approximately 170 employees were let go, leaving the company with around 80 staff members. While co-CEO Mark Gerhard, who has publicly discussed issues of alleged sabotage, hasn’t commented on these latest cuts, many developers – including those in quality assurance, level design, and audio – have announced their departures on LinkedIn.
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Earlier this year, Build A Rocket Boy had layoffs, and its co-CEO admitted the video game industry has been struggling recently. He explained that Build A Rocket Boy was also feeling these pressures. Gerhard, the co-CEO, announced another round of layoffs, calling it a very difficult decision. While the exact number of people affected isn’t known, it appears the studio behind the game MindsEye is now operating with a very small team.
Gerhard followed up by explaining a theory that someone inside the company intentionally undermined MindsEye. The CEO has repeatedly stated that the game’s poor performance is due to both internal and external issues, which are currently being investigated. He initially suggested this sabotage began before release, claiming negative early reviews were the result of a coordinated, paid campaign. This idea continued after the game launched, leading employees to publish an open letter demanding an apology from leadership for what they felt was disrespectful treatment, poor management, and mishandling of layoffs.
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Even with the difficulties they’ve faced, Build A Rocket Boy continues to support MindsEye, recently releasing a large new update called Blacklisted. In this downloadable content, players become Julia Black, a skilled assassin sent to Redrock City to eliminate two important targets. As the studio’s Gerhard previously stated, the mission emphasizes stealth, trickery, and disruption – a theme that reportedly mirrors the challenges Build A Rocket Boy encountered during the launch of MindsEye itself.
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2026-05-06 17:04