MindsEye Developer Faces More Layoffs While Blaming Launch Failure on Corporate Sabotage
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Build a Rocket Boy has announced more layoffs at MindsEye developer studio, with co CEO Mark Gerhard blaming the game's commercial failure on corporate espionage and sabotage rather than its troubled launch and low player counts.
The troubled saga of MindsEye just took another strange turn as developer Build a Rocket Boy implements a fresh round of layoffs. Following a rocky release last June, the third-person action game struggled to find an audience, leading to initial staff cuts and a major update last month that ultimately failed to revive player counts. Steam metrics show peak concurrent players lingering in the double digits, reflecting a community that largely moved on despite the studio's efforts to salvage the project.
In a recent statement posted to LinkedIn, co CEO Mark Gerhard announced the job losses while once again attributing the game's poor performance to external forces. Gerhard stated that the studio is working with legal teams to investigate what he describes as overwhelming evidence of organized espionage and corporate sabotage surrounding the launch. While citing upcoming legal proceedings as the reason for withholding specific details, Gerhard previously pointed fingers at content creators, including issuing a cease and desist demand to YouTuber Cyber Boi over critical coverage.
For players and industry observers following the situation, the persistent focus on conspiracies stands in sharp contrast to the core issues that alienated the community at launch, including bugs, technical shortcomings, and a general lack of player engagement. As Build a Rocket Boy pursues legal action against alleged bad actors, the human cost of the game's failure continues to fall on the developers caught in the crossfire. Original reporting from Austin Manchester on Polygon provides a closer look at the ongoing fallout over at Polygon.
Tags: MindsEye, Build a Rocket Boy, Industry Layoffs, Gaming News, Polygon
Original article: Polygon