A group of 93 current and former developers from Build A Rocket Boy’s Mindseye studio have united to publish an open letter, demanding significant changes within the company. This powerful statement criticizes management practices, the handling of recent layoffs, and what they describe as excessive overtime. The letter directly challenges Leslie Benzies, known for his work on GTA games at Rockstar, and Mark Gerhard, formerly CEO of Jagex, to reflect on their treatment of employees. Through their union, the group is also pursuing legal claims against the company.
Mindseye, which was intended as a foundational experience for the more ambitious, user-generated content platform Everywhere, has been widely criticized. It launched with underwhelming gameplay and numerous performance issues, quickly becoming one of 2025’s lowest-rated sandbox games.
In the wake of Mindseye’s poor reception, Build A Rocket Boy initiated a substantial redundancy process. The open letter estimates that between 250 and 300 developers were laid off. While remaining staff have issued minor updates for the game, a planned collaboration with the Hitman series was recently delayed indefinitely.
The developers’ letter confronts what they call “longstanding disrespect and mistreatment” of staff. It places blame squarely on studio management for both the game’s commercial failure and the subsequent layoffs, asserting that the redundancy process itself was severely mismanaged. Allegations include employees receiving incorrect information, being given dismissal notices with incorrect notice periods, and having their performance evaluated by the wrong teams. These errors, the letter claims, may have led to the wrongful dismissal of dozens of individuals.
Beyond the layoffs, the letter highlights “unbearable levels of overtime” and a notable “lack of transparency and communication” within the studio.
The IWGB Game Workers Union has confirmed its support for the employees in taking legal action against Build A Rocket Boy. Furthermore, the open letter outlines four specific demands for the studio’s leadership:
- A public apology for the mistreatment of employees and appropriate compensation for those who were laid off.
- The option for remaining employees currently under redundancy notice to choose between working their full notice period or receiving Payment in Lieu of Notice (PILON).
- A genuine, documented commitment to improving internal conditions and processes, including formal recognition of the IWGB as a trade union.
- A pledge to engage official external partners for any future redundancy processes to ensure fair treatment.
The letter concludes with a poignant question directed at Gerhard and Benzies: “you often refer to your employees as ‘family’. But we ask you to consider; is this really how you treat your own?”
PCGamesN has reached out to Build A Rocket Boy for their response.