Build a Rocket Boy CEO Leslie Benzies told staff in a video call Tuesday that the studio plans to "relaunch" MindsEye despite the entire 300-person UK workforce facing redundancy following the game's poor reception. According to IGN, Benzies blamed the game's struggles on "internal and external saboteurs" during the brief address on July 2.
The commitment to resurrect the sci-fi shooter comes as the studio founded by the former Rockstar Games executive navigates mass layoffs triggered by what has become the worst-reviewed game of 2025.
Benzies' promise of a comeback for MindsEye marks a defiant stance as redundancy emails have been sent to all staff at Build a Rocket Boy's UK studio and PlayFusion, the multiplayer shooter developer acquired in 2024, according to PC Gamer1. The video call represented Benzies' first direct address to employees since the layoff process began.
The CEO's claims about sabotage echo comments made in May by co-CEO Mark Gerhard, who suggested people were being "paid" to speak negatively about MindsEye. When asked if someone was "financing" negative feedback, Gerhard responded "100 percent," according to Insider Gaming2.
Build a Rocket Boy confirmed last month it had "made the painful decision" to notify staff of layoffs, initiating a formal 45-day consultation process required under UK law when companies plan to eliminate more than 100 positions within 90 days12. The process began around June 23, affecting an estimated 300 UK employees out of the studio's 500 worldwide workforce3.
"While we are working to reassign roles for as many of those impacted by these changes as possible, sadly we are initiating a formal consultation process that may result in redundancies," the studio told GamesIndustry.biz1.
MindsEye launched last month to widespread criticism, earning a Metacritic score of 38 and struggling to maintain more than 140 concurrent players on Steam1. The game was designed as a narrative-driven third-person shooter with planned live-service elements allowing developers and players to create new content.
In the days following release, even the game's lead performer Alex Hernandez suggested games should never launch in an "unfinished" state, according to Insider Gaming2. Some sponsored streamers struggled to promote the title, with Build a Rocket Boy reportedly canceling planned promotional streams as the game's problems became apparent3.
The studio acknowledged being "heartbroken" about ongoing optimization and performance issues while promising updates, but the scale of the workforce reduction suggests deeper challenges ahead for any potential relaunch effort.
