A collective of 93 current and former employees from Build a Rocket Boy, the studio behind the game MindsEye, have penned an open letter directly to the company’s leadership, calling for accountability regarding alleged staff mistreatment. The letter, supported by the Game Workers Branch of the Independent Workers of Great Britain, specifically names studio heads Mark Gerhard and former Grand Theft Auto lead developer Leslie Benzies, detailing a range of concerns.
Key accusations in the letter include a severe lack of effective communication from leadership and “unbearable” periods of forced overtime in the four months leading up to MindsEye’s release. Employees also report that recent redundancies were handled poorly, causing significant stress and emotional distress throughout the workforce.
The letter powerfully states: “These and many other issues, some of which have been made public already, have caused pain and stress for your employees. Our experience at the company has been one of burnout, job insecurity, health issues, and the failure of a game that many of us have put years of our lives into.”
The dissatisfied employees are demanding a public apology, fair compensation, and substantial changes to foster a healthier and more equitable work environment, along with a complete overhaul of the company’s culture. The letter concludes with a poignant question to 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?”
Build a Rocket Boy, founded by Leslie Benzies after his departure from Rockstar/GTA, saw its inaugural major title, the GTA-inspired MindsEye, debut to overwhelmingly negative reviews, ranking among the year’s worst-performing games. Reports indicate that developers were “working around the clock” post-launch to address the game’s numerous problems. However, this period was also marked by news of layoffs within the studio following the game’s disastrous reception. Furthermore, two senior executives reportedly left the developer even before MindsEye’s release.