Overview
- Former staff and the IWGB union picketed Build A Rocket Boy’s Edinburgh office on Saturday, July 11, during an expenses‑paid fan playtest that the union says used flown‑in fans to perform testing work normally done by laid‑off employees.
- The IWGB has brought legal claims alleging the studio installed invasive monitoring software on employee devices and violated data‑privacy rules, and the tool was removed after worker backlash.
- MindsEye launched in June 2025 to very poor reviews, scoring 39 on PC and 29 on PS5 on Metacritic, and the studio has carried out multiple rounds of redundancies that workers estimate at roughly 250–300 or more.
- Co‑CEO Mark Gerhard has publicly blamed 'organised espionage and corporate sabotage' for the game's failure and the studio released a 'Blacklisted' DLC to present alleged evidence, a move former staff say deflects responsibility and worsens trust.
- The protests and active litigation raise the risk of lasting reputational harm, further staff loss and strain on business partnerships, and court rulings or new publishing deals will be key to whether the studio can stabilise.