Build a Rocket Boy, Studio Behind MindsEye, Shutting Down Permanently

Build a Rocket Boy, the studio founded by Leslie Benzies and Mark Gerhard, is closing permanently following months of turmoil marked by multiple rounds of layoffs, union organizing, and workplace complaints.

Multiple current employees confirmed the shutdown on LinkedIn over the past 24 hours. Level designer Liam Shannon, QA analyst Elizabet Tyaneva, release manager Michaela Emslie, and production QA analyst Cameron Deaves all posted that their time at the studio is “coming to an end.” Dan Hawkins, the studio’s principal talent acquisition partner, stated he would be “seeing BARB through till the very end” as the company winds down, signaling this is closure rather than further selective layoffs. Sources familiar with the situation confirmed to Kotaku that the studio is permanently shutting its doors.

A History of Controversy

Build a Rocket Boy’s troubled path began with MindsEye, a game widely criticized for resembling Grand Theft Auto. The studio’s attempt to salvage the project through multiple iterations failed to generate commercial interest. Beyond the game’s reception, the studio faced serious workplace challenges: multiple layoff rounds, a collective grievance filed by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), and employee accusations of crunch conditions and unlawful monitoring practices.

Ben Newbon, vice-chair of the IWGB Games Worker Union, issued a statement confirming the closure and expressing “solidarity and support to everyone impacted.” Newbon characterized Build a Rocket Boy as “a company that we think has been slowly spiralling for a long time,” noting that union organizers had fought to prevent job losses after workers “poured their heart and soul into Minds Eye.” The IWGB stated it remains “committed to getting justice for BARB management’s treatment of workers.”

Why It Matters

The closure adds Build a Rocket Boy to a growing list of game studios shuttering or conducting major layoffs in 2026. The collapse underscores how a combination of poor game reception, workplace disputes, and operational mismanagement can force even well-funded studios to close entirely. The IWGB’s involvement highlights ongoing tensions in the games industry over worker protections and labor organizing.

Kotaku has reached out to Build a Rocket Boy for comment.