Studio Build a Rocket Boy, the creator of the game MindsEye, has begun a layoff process that could affect more than 100 employees in the UK in the coming weeks. According to an IGN report, the company has initiated a formal 45-day consultation process, which is legally required in the United Kingdom when planning more than 100 layoffs within 90 days.
The studio currently employs around 500 people, with 300 based in the UK, while the rest work from abroad. This wave of layoffs represents nearly a third of the total UK staff and comes just a few weeks after the game experienced a disastrous launch.
MindsEye launched with serious technical issues and poor reviews. The PlayStation 5 version currently has a score of 28 on Metacritic, while the PC version stands at 38. The number of concurrent players on Steam barely exceeded 1,000 in the first days, and today it rarely surpasses 500. Players have reported bugs, crashes, and poor optimization, and Sony has allowed refunds for dissatisfied users.
Despite everything, the studio informed employees in a letter that it remains committed to MindsEye and its post-launch support. However, many analysts believe these layoffs signal deeper issues within the studio, including poor project management and employee dissatisfaction. Even before the game's launch, key personnel had left the studio, including the heads of finance and legal departments. - writes PushSquare.
Furthermore, former employees in media statements point to a toxic work culture and poor internal communication during the game's development. Some cited exhausting deadlines, unclear creative guidelines, and a general sense of chaos that prevailed within the team.
Given the poor reception of MindsEye, the future of the related platform Everywhere, which was supposed to function as a sort of content creation tool within the same franchise, is also in question. Build a Rocket Boy has not yet commented on how the layoffs will affect further development or planned updates.
The gaming community has expressed support for the employees on social media, but also frustration that those who worked on the game are suffering the most due to poor decisions at the top. MindsEye has thus become yet another title launched in 2025 before it was ready, and the consequences are now visible within the studio itself. - writes CGM.
