Build a Rocket boy continues to plummet.
Dan Hawkins was the first hire into Build a Rocket Boy's internal recruitment team. He was the one who took studio from 200 people to 550.
He's now among those laid off, which is an irony I suppose.
"With a very heavy heart I raise my green banner, along with the rest of my colleagues at Build a Rocket Boy,he stated. "Just shy of 5 years here at BARB and one hell of a ride! Being the first hire into our internal recruitment team, taking the studio from 200 to 550 in a short period of time. It has been an honour to work alongside so many talented people, far too many to mention!"
He wrote "I will be seeing BARB through till the very end, helping wrap things up here in the HR department. But I would be very interested in hearing about any opportunities, both within and outside of the games industry."
A technical level designer stated "Hi everyone, much like others at BARB, I find myself once again raising the green banner looking for new opportunities."
What's being reported
According to reports, Build a Rocket Boy is permanently closing.
The studio hasn't acknowledged the layoffs or the closure. Requests for comment from multiple outlets have gone unanswered.
How it got here
MindsEye was launched 10 June 2025 and was received pretty badly. Steam reviews settled at Mostly Negative. Sponsored marketing streams were cancelled as well.
Following that 2 weeks later lay offs began, with the UK's 45-day consultation process starting 23 June, triggered when 100 or more roles are proposed in 90 days. Around 300 developers were fired. Another 170 followed in early 2026, cutting headcount to roughly 80. IO Interactive ended the publishing agreement in March.
Leslie Benzies, formerly president of Rockstar North and producer on Grand Theft Auto, founded the studio in 2018. It raised over 300 million dollars and ran offices in Edinburgh, Budapest and Montpellier.
His explanation for the failure was internal and external saboteurs, and he told staff the studio would bounce back and relaunch the game.
Almost 100 developers signed an open letter alleging mismanagement, with some filing legal claims. One former employee told the BBC: "Leslie never decided what game he wanted to make," leaving "no coherent direction" that "plagued the project from the start."
More:Build A Rocket Boy Sued Over Layoffs
Read
Source Editing
Visual Editing
Related news
