MindsEye Dev Build A Rocket Boy: Layoffs, 'Espionage' Claims, and a Curious Case of Digital Surveillance

AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer · Thu Mar 05 2026

Build A Rocket Boy, the developer behind MindsEye, has announced another round of layoffs following the game's disappointing performance, with co-CEO Mark Gerhard once again blaming "organised espionage and corporate sabotage" – allegations made even more curious by prior reports of the studio installing performance-hindering monitoring software on its developers' machines.

Right, so you know that feeling when you're trying to cast a neat little 'repair broken game' spell, and instead of fixing things, you accidentally summon a whirlwind of corporate drama, espionage allegations, and... digital surveillance? Yeah, that’s pretty much the vibe coming out of Build A Rocket Boy (BARB), the studio behind the ambitious, yet famously wobbly, live-service title, MindsEye.

I’ve been tinkering with this story all morning, diving into the digital tea leaves, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. Now, layoffs in the gaming industry are, sadly, becoming a depressingly common occurrence these days. It’s like a rogue wave hitting every few weeks, and it’s always the developers, the actual wizards making the games, who bear the brunt. But BARB's latest round of job cuts comes with a side dish of extraordinary claims that make you wonder if reality itself has sprung a leak. This news was originally reported by Fran Ruiz over at Eurogamer, with additional details from IGN and GamesIndustry.biz, and mate, they’ve peeled back quite a few layers of this onion.

Let's rewind a bit. MindsEye, bless its ambitious heart, didn't exactly stick the landing last year. Initial reviews were… rough, shall we say? Buggy, unpolished – the usual suspects for a troubled launch. But credit where credit's due, the BARB team spent months in the digital trenches, trying to salvage the ship. They pushed out a 'reset update' in early February, a huge effort to polish the experience and, well, reset the brand. And get this: it actually managed to bump the game's recent Steam reviews up to 'mostly positive.' That's no small feat, honestly. You've got to admire the sheer tenacity of the devs to drag a game back from the brink like that.

However, it seems even a 'mostly positive' glow-up wasn't quite enough to turn the tide. Following the update's disappointing commercial performance, BARB has, once again, hit its workforce with 'at-risk' emails, leading to another wave of layoffs. It’s a gut-wrenching situation for any studio, but what sets BARB apart isn't just the difficulty of recovering from a rough launch; it's the rather… unique explanations coming from the top brass.

See, this isn't the first time we've heard whispers of dark forces at play within BARB. Last year, founder Leslie Benzies (yeah, *that* Leslie Benzies, the ex-Rockstar veteran) allegedly told staff about 'internal and external' forces trying to disrupt MindsEye’s launch. And now, BARB co-CEO Mark Gerhard is doubling down on these claims. In a recent official communication via LinkedIn, Gerhard explicitly blamed 'organised espionage and corporate sabotage' for the game’s troubles. And here's the kicker: he underlined that the matter is 'moving toward prosecution,' which, conveniently, means details can't be shared right now.

Now, I’m a naturally curious digital wizard, always wondering 'what happens if…' and eager to dig deeper. But when I hear 'organised espionage' and 'corporate sabotage' thrown around, my gentle skepticism meter starts to blip wildly. It’s like casting a fire spell and blaming 'evil pixies' when your house burns down. *Could* it be true? Sure, anything's possible in this chaotic digital realm. But to trot out such serious, vague accusations while announcing layoffs, and then to say 'can't share details' – that's a classic corporate deflection spell if I ever saw one. It makes you wonder if it’s an attempt to divert attention from other potential issues, doesn't it?

And here’s where things get even more tangled, like a badly managed network cable. GamesIndustry.biz reported earlier this year that BARB workers had discovered management had installed monitoring software called Teramind on their machines. This, according to sources, significantly impacted the performance of 'essential' game development software. Seriously, mate? You're alleging 'organised espionage' while *also* installing surveillance software that hinders your own developers' ability to, you know, develop the game? That’s like trying to catch a thief by bricking your own security cameras. Gerhard apparently told staff the software would be removed 'within three months,' but by then, the damage to trust and productivity could be immense. It raises some serious questions about priorities and, frankly, about basic management sense. It’s hard to foster innovation and creativity when your team feels watched, and their tools are slowed down by the very surveillance meant to protect the company.

Meanwhile, back in the observable universe, MindsEye’s player numbers tell a rather grim story. Its 24-hour peak on SteamDB shows a mere 39 players, with only 19 currently in-game. Compare that to its all-time peak of 3,302 players nine months ago, and you can see the uphill battle. While we don't have console data, it’s fair to say the vibes are, indeed, rotten.

What does all this mean for us, the players and curious observers of the gaming world? It's another stark reminder of the immense challenges of launching and maintaining a live-service game. It also highlights the growing importance of transparency and trust – not just between studios and players, but within the studios themselves. When corporate comms lean heavily on dramatic, unproven accusations instead of clear, actionable insights, it often obscures the deeper issues. My digital tea leaves suggest that until BARB can offer more than just vague charges and questionable internal monitoring, their road to recovery – and rebuilding trust with both their staff and their audience – will remain exceptionally rocky. It's a proper magical mishap, this one, and I'm genuinely curious to see what 'prosecution' looks like when the digital dust settles.

Tags: gaming industry, game development, live service games, corporate culture, player experience

Original article: Eurogamer