🔻 MindsEye Developer Build a Rocket Boy Begins Layoffs After Catastrophic Launch

Build a Rocket Boy, the studio behind MindsEye, has entered a formal layoff process following the game’s disastrous debut. Sources say over 100 staff members—possibly a third of the UK office—are set to lose their jobs, triggering a 45-day consultation period required under UK regulations

🧨 How It Unraveled

MindsEye, led by former GTA producer Leslie Benzies, launched on June 10 to resounding backlash. Critics and players alike reported:

Severe optimization and frame-rate issues

Frequent game-breaking bugs and crashes

Broken quests and floating NPCs

Disappointing user reviews, with a Metacritic score in the high 30s and “mostly negative” Steam reviews

The backlash echoed the infamous Cyberpunk 2077 launch—complete with PlayStation refund offerings and public outcry.

🏢 What’s Happening Internally

The studio’s UK office (around 300 employees) is now in consultation for 100+ redundancies over the next six weeks. Whether overseas staff will be affected remains unclear

Build a Rocket Boy issued a statement confirming the restructuring, affirming its commitment to redeploy as many impacted staff as possible. The move comes in a bid to refocus on patching MindsEye and securing the future of their ambitious platform, Everywhere

🎮 From Promise to Fallout

MindsEye was conceived as a cinematic third-person experience and a showcase for Everywhere, a user-generated content platform. But instead of showcasing potential, the launch turned into a public relations disaster:

Refunds issued even through Sony's PlayStation Store

Heated debates about whether a rushed, buggy release and executive departures sealed its fate

Even with a promise of hotfixes and future patches, rebuilding trust now begins with internal reorganization—and a much leaner team to carry out the rescue mission.

✅ Final Word

What began as a bold return to AAA by a GTA veteran has turned into a cautionary tale of overreach and underdeliver. With staff cuts underway and a demanding recovery ahead, MindsEye’s story is entering its most critical chapter yet. Whether Build a Rocket Boy can patch the game and reclaim credibility—or if this marks the beginning of the end—depends on the next few months.

Stay tuned to NoFallDamage.net for coverage of patch notes, staff updates, and long-term fallout from one of the year's biggest flops.

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#MindsEye #BuildARocketBoy #Layoffs #TechLayoffs #GamingNews #GTAProducer #GameFlop #NoFallDamage #EverywherePlatform #GameDevDrama #AAAIndustry #CyberpunkEffect