MindsEye Studio Hit With Mass Layoffs Days After DLC Launches

Things continue to go from bad to worse for Build A Rocket Boy, as the studio behind 2025’s worst-reviewed game, MindsEye, has suffered another round of layoffs. While the studio has yet to acknowledge the mass layoffs at the studio, which have taken place just days after the launch of MindsEye‘s first DLC, a new report claims that approximately 170 developers have been affected by redundancies this week.

Build A Rocket Boy was founded in 2016 and established by Leslie Benzies, a former Rockstar North president who had become well known for his work on the Grand Theft Auto series. With an industry veteran at the helm, the gaming world expected big things from Build A Rocket Boy. Unfortunately, the studio’s first title, MindsEye, was one of the biggest flops in video game history. Not only was the game panned by critics, but it was also heavily criticized by players for its dull world, lackluster story, and many bugs and performance issues. When all was said and done, MindsEye became the worst-reviewed game of 2025, with an abysmal Metacritic score of 39.

This 2025 Failure Proves You Shouldn’t Try and Compete with Grand Theft Auto

MindsEye’s disastrous release shows the challenges of trying to compete with Grand Theft Auto.

MindsEye Studio Build A Rocket Boy Suffers More Layoffs

Following the disastrous launch of MindsEye, Build A Rocket Boy experienced mass layoffs in June 2025 and more in March 2026. Now, according to a report from Kotaku, approximately 170 employees have been made redundant this week, which brings the total number of staff down to around 80. Build A Rocket Boy’s co-CEO, Mark Gerhard, who has been extremely vocal about the apparent sabotage the studio has encountered, has yet to make a comment on the latest round of layoffs. However, numerous developers have taken to LinkedIn to announce their departure from the studio. This includes QA Analysts, Level Designers, Audio Designers, and more.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

When Build A Rocket Boy experienced layoffs earlier this year, the company’s co-CEO acknowledged the growing difficulties the video game industry has faced in recent years, while also noting that Build A Rocket Boy is not immune to those same pressures. Gerhard then announced a further number of redundancies at the studio, calling it a “deeply painful decision.” The exact number of layoffs was unconfirmed, but with the latest round of redundancies hitting the studio this week, it looks like the studio behind MindsEye is now operating with very minimal staff members.

Gerhard then used the remainder of his statement to discuss a theory that claimed MindsEye had been subject to internal sabotage. The CEO has now suggested on multiple occasions that the game’s failure is down to internal and external factors that are now under investigation. These claims stem all the way back to before the game was even released, as Gerhard suggested that early hands-on previews were being blasted by critics as part of a “paid effort.” This theory then continued post-launch, but resulted in employees publishing a joint letter and demanding an apology from the executives for what they described as disrespect, mismanagement, and mishandling of the redundancy process.

Balance the critic averages

Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)

Despite these troubles, Build A Rocket Boy has remained committed to MindsEye, even releasing a major content update just last week. Known as Blacklisted, the DLC sees players take on the role of Julia Black, a world-class assassin, on a mission to Redrock City to eliminate two key targets. As previously promised by Gerhard, the mission focuses on espionage, deceit, and sabotage, which is apparently aimed to be a reflection of what the studio has experienced in real life with the launch of MindsEye.