Build A Rocket Boy Begins Redundancy Process After Poor MindsEye Launch

image: MindsEye

Build A Rocket Boy has officially started a redundancy process following the disappointing launch of MindsEye, with more than 100 employees potentially affected.

According to a report by IGN, the studio informed its staff that the 45-day consultation period—required under UK law when 100 or more layoffs are proposed within 90 days—began on June 23.

While the exact number of impacted employees hasn't been confirmed, internal sources indicate the job cuts could affect a substantial portion of the UK-based team. Build A Rocket Boy reportedly employs around 300 people in the UK and another 200 globally. According to its LinkedIn profile, the company currently employs 448 people.

The layoffs come shortly after the studio publicly acknowledged the rocky launch of MindsEye, stating it was “heartbroken” by the technical issues and player frustrations. Performance problems, bugs, and inconsistent AI behavior plagued the release, prompting widespread criticism. In response, the studio began rolling out patches aimed at improving stability and gameplay.

Adding to the woes, the game’s debut led to the cancellation of several sponsored streams and a wave of refund requests—even from Sony, which typically has a more rigid refund policy.

Steam statistics paint a grim picture: while MindsEye peaked at 3,302 concurrent players on launch day, that number dropped dramatically, hitting just 130 within 24 hours. At the time of writing, only 89 players remain active, and the game’s user reviews are marked as “mostly negative.” On Metacritic, MindsEye has received a critic score of 43, while the user score is just 2.4/10, making it the worst-rated game of 2025.

Despite its ambitious goals and the involvement of former Grand Theft Auto lead Leslie Benzies, the game has not performed as expected. While Build A Rocket Boy insists it remains committed to fixing and supporting MindsEye, the road ahead looks increasingly uncertain—not just for the game, but for many of the people who built it.