Studio behind PS5 GTA-style game MindsEye closes

Build a Rocket Boy has closed after several rounds of layoffs and recent staff departures, employees and union representatives say. The studio developed MindsEye, a GTA-style open-world title for PlayStation 5.

Multiple staff posted on LinkedIn within a 24-hour period to announce their departures. Those named included level designer Liam Shannon, QA analyst Elizabet Tyaneva, release manager Michaela Emslie and production QA analyst Cameron Deaves.

Dan Hawkins, the studio’s lead talent acquisition partner, wrote on LinkedIn that he would ‘see BARB through till the very end, helping wrap things up here in the HR department,’ and added he was open to new roles outside the company. Colleagues interpreted his message as confirmation that the current roster will be the studio’s final set of employees.

Build a Rocket Boy is owned by Leslie Benzies and Mark Gerhard. Staff and former employees report multiple rounds of layoffs over recent months. Some former workers have alleged unlawful employee monitoring during the studio’s operations.

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain’s Games Worker Union has been involved in disputes with the studio. Ben Newbon, the union’s vice president, wrote the organisation remains ‘committed to getting justice for [Build a Rocket Boy] management’s treatment of workers’ and plans to continue pursuing complaints.

Employees who posted about leaving did not provide public details on final pay or severance. The company has not issued a public statement describing the closure timeline, severance arrangements or the fate of ongoing projects.