Construct a Rocket Boy is internet hosting an all-expenses-paid fan occasion for MindsEye at its Edinburgh places of work this Saturday. His flight to Scotland, two nights’ lodge lodging, and a gathering with studio employees had been all paid for by an organization that laid off greater than 400 staff in three rounds of layoffs in lower than a 12 months. Staff and IWGB union members will collect outdoors the premises at 10am to search out out what they give thought to the choice.
The state of affairs is irregular irrespective of the way you take a look at it. MindsEye launched in Summer time 2025 as Metacritic’s worst reviewed recreation of the 12 months, reaching a rating of 37 and being described as damaged by each critics and gamers.
What employees are literally protesting
Greater than 100 staff had been laid off shortly after launch. A second spherical was held in March 2026, with co-CEO Mark Gerhardt claiming the sport’s acceptance was as a result of “irrefutable proof” of organized espionage and company sabotage. The third spherical passed off in Might, with one other 170 cuts instantly after the studio shipped new marketing campaign missions. The mission itself was constructed round depicting suspected sabotage. Leslie Benzies, the studio’s founder and former president of Rockstar North, additionally left the corporate across the identical time in what was publicly described as a brief, deliberate go away of absence.
This fan occasion isn’t separate from all this, the employees insist. Spending cash on flights and lodge lodging for native residents is a concrete choice employees are dealing with whereas greater than 400 colleagues have misplaced their livelihoods.
There’s additionally the query of what followers really do as soon as they get there. IWGB stated in an announcement that playtesting includes group members taking up testing duties usually reserved for skilled employees, and that following latest choices to cut back long-standing group crew members, gamers shall be employed with none formal interview course of or job commercials. Whether or not that is commonplace observe or not, it would not look good when framed towards the backdrop of the previous 12 months.
MindsEye launches in Summer time 2025 as Metacritic’s worst rated recreation of the 12 months
IWGB has already filed a separate lawsuit towards Construct-A-Rocket Boy. Earlier this 12 months, the union launched authorized proceedings after discovering that Teramind, an worker monitoring software program that may log keystrokes, monitor emails and observe recordsdata, had been put in on staff’ units with out their information. The blatant lack of respect for workers and dishonesty relating to monitoring was “the nail within the coffin”, in accordance with the previous lead movie animator on Construct a Rocket Boy. The software program has since been eliminated, however authorized proceedings proceed.
A 12 months already tough to clarify
Even earlier than MindsEye launched, there have been indicators that issues weren’t going effectively. Unfavourable early previews, two CEOs resigning two weeks earlier than launch, and bodily copies leaked early after gamers posted clips of extreme technical points. The tales of sabotage that adopted solely added to the confusion.
In an inside assembly, Benzies reportedly spent 10 minutes studying harassing emails from his private e mail after presenting what he described as proof of an organized marketing campaign towards the studio. In October 2025, 93 present and former staff signed an open letter instantly criticizing the studio’s management, stating that “these terminations occurred due to your repeated refusal to take heed to the lengthy expertise of your staff.”
This weekend’s fan occasion is Construct a Rocket Boy’s try to construct momentum round MindsEye’s up to date construct. Whether or not it’s a rational enterprise choice or a silent one contemplating all of the circumstances which have occurred is a query that the protests intention to publicly reply. The studio has not commented on the deliberate demonstrations. The IWGB may even embrace members from different commerce unions and the “broader public”. Exterior my workplace in Edinburgh at 10am on a Saturday morning.