MindsEye Studio Shuts Down After Recent Layoffs

Build a Rocket Boy, the studio co-founded by Leslie Benzies and Mark Gerhard, known for the controversial GTA-inspired title MindsEye, is reportedly shutting down for good.

The studio’s journey has been marked by multiple rounds of layoffs, a collective grievance initiated by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, and serious allegations of crunch and illegal employee monitoring. It’s safe to say that Build a Rocket Boy has faced its share of challenges.

Now, it appears that this tumultuous journey is coming to an end. Despite several efforts to reshape MindsEye into a marketable game, numerous employees have indicated that the studio is winding down permanently.

Level designer Liam Shannon, QA analyst Elizabet Tyaneva, release manager Michaela Emslie, and production QA analyst Cameron Deaves have all shared on LinkedIn in the past day that their time at the company is “coming to an end.”

This situation goes beyond just more layoffs at a still-operating studio. A LinkedIn post from Dan Hawkins, the principal talent acquisition partner at Build a Rocket Boy, clearly stated that he, along with his colleagues, will be assisting “BARB through till the very end” as the studio closes its doors.

“With a very heavy heart I raise my green banner, along with the rest of my colleagues at Build a Rocket Boy. I am ‘Open to Work’ actively looking for a new adventure[…]” Hawkins wrote. “I will be seeing BARB through till the very end, helping wrap things up here in the HR department. But I would be very interested in hearing about any opportunities, both within and outside of the games industry to join growing companies.”

Additionally, sources close to the situation have confirmed that Build a Rocket Boy is indeed closing down for good.