Build A Rocket Boy, the studio founded by former Grand Theft Auto producer Leslie Benzies, is reportedly planning to lay off over 100 employees following the poor reception of its game MindsEye. Despite attempts to fix performance issues, the sci-fi shooter has become the worst-rated game of 2025, with many players requesting refunds on PlayStation 5 and overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam.
According to IGN, the studio has initiated the layoff process at its UK office, which employs around 300 people. UK law mandates a 45-day consultation period for proposed layoffs exceeding 100 employees within 90 days. The total number of job cuts remains uncertain. Additionally, the company has about 200 developers working overseas.
The large workforce reflects Build A Rocket Boy’s broader ambitions, including Everywhere, a scalable gaming platform envisioned as a self-contained metaverse. MindsEye, a shooter set in a near-future desert city inspired by Las Vegas, was originally intended as a side project to showcase Everywhere, but it became the primary focus as the larger project stalled.
Before launch, Benzies emphasized plans to use user-generated content tools to maintain player engagement for years. Notably, no review copies were distributed to media or content creators, and some paid promotional streams were abruptly canceled after early negative reactions. Published by IO Interactive, known for Hitman, MindsEye was marketed as a Mafia-style thriller featuring an open world and GTA-like driving mechanics.
While praised for its cutscenes and story elements, the game faced criticism for poor gunplay, problematic NPC behavior, performance issues, and numerous bugs on consoles. Sony offered refunds beyond the usual policy window due to these problems. Unlike Cyberpunk 2077, MindsEye remains available on PlayStation and Steam, where it holds a 38% positive user rating.
The studio plans a third major update before the end of June. In the run-up to release, Build A Rocket Boy’s CEO alleged that negative feedback was driven by paid bots, and the company saw the sudden departure of its chief legal and financial officers.