It appears another wave of layoffs is underway at Build A Rocket Boy. Following MindsEye’s rocky start, there are now increasing signs that the future of the studio founded by GTA veteran Leslie Benzies is uncertain.
Another round of layoffs appears to be on the horizon at Build A Rocket Boy, the studio responsible for MindsEye and founded by GTA veteran Leslie Benzies. The studio’s future is now uncertain.
This is already the third round of layoffs this year
As IGN reports, additional employees at Build A Rocket Boy have stated that they were laid off. Head of Audio Stuart Ross, level designer Liam Shannon, release manager Michaela Emslie, senior QA analyst Sandy Greig, QA analyst Elizabet Tyaneva, production QA analyst Cameron Deaves, and many others have recently announced that their time at the studio is coming to an end.
This is certainly not the first time Build A Rocket Boy has cut jobs following the chaotic launch (and even more chaotic aftermath) of MindsEye. Last year, the company laid off an unknown number of employees. In May, the studio reportedly laid off another 170 employees. The remaining employees also organized a protest this summer against Build A Rocket Boy’s “all-expenses-paid” fan event.
The studio’s future is on shaky ground
These latest layoffs are also raising doubts about the future of the entire company. Kotaku reports that sources close to the studio claim Build A Rocket Boy is shutting down for good.
Further fueling the rumors: In a recent LinkedIn post, Dan Hawkins, head of recruitment, stated that he is looking for a new job “along with the rest of my colleagues at Build A Rocket Boy” and will “stay with BARB until the bitter end to help wrap things up here in HR.”
MindsEye itself was unable to weather its turbulent first year. The game was originally intended to be part of Everything, a Roblox-like platform where users can create their own games, before its scope was significantly scaled back.
Reviews were particularly critical of the story, poorly designed missions, and combat, among other things. A host of technical issues certainly didn’t help either. As a result, studio executives insisted that MindsEye had suffered from the machinations of unnamed saboteurs.
I have reached out to Build A Rocket Boy for comment and will, of course, update this article as soon as I receive a response.
