The studio behind the 2025 game MindsEye, Build A Rocket Boy, has unfortunately carried out another major round of layoffs.
The new report (via Kotaku) notes the studio let go of more than 170 employees in the past week. This brings the studio’s workforce down to around 80 people from a peak of roughly 250, marking the third wave of redundancies in the past year.
MindsEye is an open-world action-adventure title that was originally published in partnership with IO Interactive Partners (the Hitman studio) and launched in 2025 to extremely poor reviews.
It earned a Metacritic score in the low 30s to 40s range, with widespread criticism of its story, gameplay, technical issues and overall execution. The game became one of the most poorly received releases of that year, leading to refund offers from some platforms and a very rocky start.
Founded by former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies back in October 2018, the studio has faced ongoing turmoil since then.
Leadership, particularly co-CEO Mark Gerhard, has repeatedly attributed the game’s failure not just to launch problems but to “organized espionage and corporate sabotage”, claims that include alleged internal and external interference. Earlier layoffs and restructuring followed the launch and a publishing deal with IO Interactive ended in March 2026, with Build A Rocket Boy taking over self-publishing duties.
The studio has continued pushing patches and new content, including plans for expansions and multiplayer elements via its ARCADIA system, while claiming to investigate the sabotage allegations with legal advisors. The situation has also involved significant internal controversy. Employees have reported a “toxic culture of secrecy and micromanaging” and in April 2026, unionized staff (represented by the IWGB Game Workers Union) filed a lawsuit against the studio.
They accused management of secretly installing surveillance software on work devices without consent, which allegedly recorded activity even in employees’ homes. This was reportedly done in an attempt to investigate the claimed sabotage, but it led to privacy violation complaints and demands for transparency about collected data.
Several former employees have confirmed their departures via LinkedIn in the latest round and the studio has not yet issued a full public statement on these most recent cuts as of the latest reports. The repeated layoffs, combined with the ongoing narrative around external blame and legal issues, paint a picture of a studio in significant distress despite efforts to support and update MindsEye.
MindsEye was launched back in June 2025 across Windows PC (via Steam), Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.
