93 MindsEye Developers Release Open Letter Addressing Build a Rocket Boy Leaders

Build a Rocket Boy’s MindsEye: A Critical Launch and Acquisition of Accountability

Build a Rocket Boy’s inaugural title, MindsEye, is positioned to close 2025 as one of the lowest-rated games of the year and a significant commercial failure. Anticipation was high due to the involvement of Leslie Benzies, a prominent former producer of the Grand Theft Auto series, along with co-founder Mark Gerhard. However, troubling indicators began surfacing well before the game’s official release.

Negative preliminary reviews, an underwhelming launch trailer, and insufficient information as the release date loomed generated skepticism among potential players. The situation worsened when just two weeks prior to launch, two high-profile executives exited Build a Rocket Boy, coinciding with leaked physical copies that revealed severe technical glitches and questionable gameplay mechanics.

In response to the outcry, Build a Rocket Boy assured fans that a day-one patch would rectify these issues. Unfortunately, this update failed to deliver on its promises, and players continued to encounter numerous problems. In light of the game’s troubled debut, the studio released a public statement expressing their disappointment with the game’s launch condition, while PlayStation started issuing refunds to dissatisfied customers.

Benzies attempted to deflect criticism, attributing the game’s shortcomings to both internal and external sabotage—a claim he had made even during the earlier waves of negative previews. However, as layoffs swept through the studio and reports surfaced that this failure might prompt IO Interactive, the game’s publisher, to withdraw from its publishing role, the blame shifted to leadership. Former developers began pointing fingers at the studio’s executives for the grave mismanagement that led to its current predicament.

As highlighted in an open letter from 93 former and current developers, it is evident that responsibility lies heavily with those at the top. The letter opens with a declaration of longstanding issues regarding employee treatment and respect, noting that a significant portion of the 250-300 workforce has faced layoffs due to leadership’s unwillingness to heed staff expertise.

“Employees and ex-employees at Build a Rocket Boy (BARB), together with the Game Workers Branch of the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB), are writing to address the longstanding disrespect and mistreatment of your staff.”

The developers detail three critical failures in leadership, including:

Lack of transparency and communication
Unbearable levels of overtime
Disastrous handling of redundancies

Moreover, they express their shared experience of burnout, job insecurity, and stress from a project they dedicated their years to, calling for significant changes within BARB. They emphasize that leadership should allow essential talent to direct the company towards a more promising future.

The collective of developers outlines their four main demands to address the situation:

A public apology addressing the mistreatment of employees, alongside adequate compensation for those laid off.
Providing remaining employees facing redundancy the option to either work through their notice period or opt for Payment in Lieu of Notice (PILON).
A comprehensive and documented effort to enhance workplace conditions and acknowledge the IWGB as a recognized trade union.
A commitment to utilize official external partners for the management of future redundancies to ensure fair practices.

In closing, the developers challenged Benzies and Gerhard’s self-styled familial approach to leadership:

“Mark Gerhard and Leslie Benzies, you often refer to your employees as ‘family.’ But we ask you to consider; is this really how you treat your own?”

In the early stages of Build a Rocket Boy, Benzies and his team secured $110 million in funding to back their vision of a groundbreaking gaming experience. With Benzies’ reputable name associated with the studio and the lofty ambitions of crafting a game akin to Grand Theft Auto, the excitement echoed throughout the industry. Sadly, unless decisive action is taken, the studio now risks fading into history as yet another cautionary tale within the gaming community.

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