When it launched this summer, MindsEye obtained the unenviable title of the worst-rated game of 2025. Our own MindsEye review called it "an uninspired and forgettable sci-fi action adventure that feels like a Netflix movie you watch while on your phone," and the debacle seemed all the more notable because it was directed by Leslie Benzies, formerly a long-time producer at Rockstar who oversaw everything from GTA to Red Dead Redemption.
While MindsEye would turn into the butt of a whole lot of jokes, it's likely never been funny for the people who spent a stretch of their lives making it. A group of current and former employees at developer Build A Rocket Boy, alongside the Game Workers Branch of the Independent Workers of Great Britain, have issued an open letter to Benzies and co-CEO Mark Gerhard, alleging multiple types of mismanagement at the studio.
The developers say they are "writing to address the longstanding disrespect and mistreatment of your staff. For years, you have expected them to adapt to your every whim, with those in disagreement being shut down or cast aside. We estimate a UK-majority of 250-300 workers across the company have now lost their livelihoods. These layoffs happened because you repeatedly refused to listen to your workforce’s years of experience, resulting in one of the worst video game launches this decade."
Among the issues cited in the open letter is a "lack of transparency and communication," with employees alleging that leadership provided "sparse and vague" information while "often making radical changes to the way we worked with little or no input from those affected."
They also cite "unbearable levels of overtime," with a mandatory eight hours of extra work per week, with time off promised in exchange, but "many have still not been able to take this time off due to [leadership's] continued requests for extra 'high-priority' work, even after launch."
They also say the handling of layoffs in the wake of MindsEye's launch has been "disastrous." The employees behind the letter believe leadership has "consistently mishandled the redundancy process, causing confusion and distress for all staff. Employees have received misinformation, been handed dismissal notices with the wrong notice periods, and been put in the wrong teams so that their performances were scored by the wrong people. These and other errors have potentially resulted in the wrongful dismissal of dozens of staff members."
The devs say "BARB needs to change. CEOs need to take a backseat and allow the skilled people who remain at the company to forge the path ahead." With all that in mind, they're making these demands of studio leadership:
- A public apology for this mistreatment of employees and proper compensation for laid-off employees;
- The option for remaining employees on redundancy notice to either work their notice period or take Payment in Lieu of Notice (PILON);
- A concerted, meaningful, and documented effort to improve conditions and processes within the company, including the acknowledgement of the IWGB as a trade union;
- A commitment to use official external partners to action any future redundancies and prevent unfair treatment.
Hopefully none of the rest of the new games for 2025 suffer this fate.
