Build A Rocket Boy announces layoffs, CEO alleges organised espionage

Build A Rocket Boy, the Scotland-based studio behind MindsEye, announced another round of redundancies in a LinkedIn statement from CEO Mark Gerhard that also accused unnamed parties of sabotaging the game. Gerhard said the studio’s investigations had produced, in his words, "overwhelming evidence of organised espionage and corporate sabotage affecting MindsEye," and that "this matter is moving toward prosecution."

Gerhard framed the cuts as part of an industrywide contraction and expressed personal regret for staff affected. "Over the past few years, the games industry has gone through one of the most difficult periods in its history. Many talented developers across the world have been affected by layoffs and restructuring. Unfortunately, today we have to share that Build A Rocket Boy is not immune to those pressures," he wrote. "Today we are announcing a further number of redundancies at the studio. This is a deeply painful decision. The people leaving our team have invested enormous talent, passion and long hours into building what we believe in. Letting colleagues go is never something any leader wants to do, and I know the impact this will have on individuals, families and our wider community."

MindsEye launched for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC, but the game met a rough reception. Players reported bugs and performance problems, sponsored marketing streams were cancelled at short notice, and the title ended up with the lowest Metacritic score of 2025. The studio has tried mitigation measures: it pushed out updates, released a free starter pack trial across platforms in November, and announced a new phase of ongoing development, yet player response and critical scores have stayed weak.

Gerhard said the studio has been "working with external partners and legal advisors to investigate the criminal activity that took place around our launch," and reiterated that he believes evidence will be presented as the inquiry proceeds. He previously issued a cease and desist on the MindsEye Discord in January that named a YouTuber called Cyber Boi, accusing that channel of "media manipulation, espionage, [and] sabotage" and warning that "certain BARB employees continue to leak confidential information to you, thereby betraying their colleagues, our studio, and the broader community we serve."

The company did not specify how many people were affected by this latest round of cuts. It’s thought that around 300 Build A Rocket Boy developers were laid off last June, a figure that has circulated in industry reporting but was not confirmed by the studio in its latest statement. LinkedIn comments on Gerhard’s post drew sharp criticism from some members of the development community, with replies calling the statement "incredibly rude" and "delusional."

The studio’s public posture is complicated by separate controversy involving founder Leslie Benzies, who was named in recently released Epstein files and faced an email allegation of sexual assault that he denied. Benzies and Gerhard have previously suggested sabotage affected the launch and told staff the project would be relaunched.

Until Build A Rocket Boy or prosecutors publish filings or clear evidence, Gerhard’s claim of organised espionage and the exact headcount for this round of redundancies remain unverified; the studio says investigations are ongoing and that the matter is moving toward prosecution.