MindsEye Studio Hit With New Round of Layoffs, Reportedly Affecting Around 170 Workers

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Following a recent update to their game MindsEye which introduced a storyline about internal sabotage, Build A Rocket Boy has announced a new round of layoffs. Although the exact number isn’t confirmed, Kotaku reports approximately 170 employees are affected, leaving the studio with around 80 workers.

Build A Rocket Boy recently announced another round of layoffs, with several employees sharing the news, including lead technical designer James Tyler, audio designer Tom Cross, QA analyst Gary Iain Gough, and level designer Leah Philpot.

Both Cross and Tyler recently announced on LinkedIn that they are seeking new jobs after layoffs at Build A Rocket Boy. Cross is looking for opportunities in Sound Design and Audio, while Tyler’s position will end in May.

Several people on the studio’s social media team, including digital marketing manager George Jons-Clothier, have shared news about the layoffs on Discord.

I’m letting you know that tomorrow, May 5th, will be my last day at BARB. It’s been a real pleasure and honor working with everyone here. You’re all incredibly kind, welcoming, talented, and passionate, and I’ve truly enjoyed working on MindsEye with you all – it’s made every day fun and meaningful.

These recent layoffs come after a previous round in March. Studio CEO Mark Gerhard explained that the cuts were due to issues beyond typical business challenges and increased competition. He also stated that investigations with outside experts and lawyers revealed strong evidence of organized spying and deliberate disruption targeting MindsEye. Because legal action is being considered, the company can’t release all the details at this time.

Gerhard’s post, which promoted conspiracy theories, understandably received a lot of backlash. Nic McConnell from Riot Games specifically criticized the CEO for linking the layoff announcement with those theories, stating it was disrespectful to the affected employees and disregarded their hard work. He emphasized that these are people whose jobs and lives are impacted.

Just last month, several employees represented by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) sued Build A Rocket Boy, claiming the company was secretly monitoring them with software called Teramind. The company reportedly removed the software only after 40 employees formally complained about it.

Several former employees have come forward to criticize the studio’s work environment. Chris Wilson, a long-time industry professional and lead animator for MindsEye, explained, “It’s easy to think shared hardship brings people together, but many are ashamed and don’t want to discuss what happened. They don’t want to admit they were involved with the project or worked at the studio.”

Ben Newborn, a former games analyst, also criticized Build A Rocket Boy, pointing out that the company was already known for demanding long working hours from its employees.

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2026-05-06 16:41