According to a new Kotaku report, around 170 employees have been laid off at MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy following another round of layoffs. Additionally, several former employees took to LinkedIn to voice their frustration and disappointment over being affected by the studio’s restructuring, which impacted multiple departments and staff.
Back In March, IO Interactive announced the conclusion of its publishing collaboration with developer Build a Rocket Boy on MindsEye. Build a Rocket Boy will handle publishing and other aspects of the title moving forward. As a result, the Hitman crossover event with MindsEye was cancelled. Earlier reports indicated that Build a Rocket Boy was ending its relationship with IO Interactive.
The studio reportedly claimed it aims to focus on in-house publishing to enable “faster decision-making,” “simpler communication,” and “greater control over the player experience.” While the developer plans to continue adding content and implementing improvements, details on its upcoming titles have not yet been announced. According to past analysis from Ampere Analysis, as reported by The Game Business, MindsEye sales have been negatively affected by its poor critical and player reception. The report states that the game was “just shy” of 250,000 players, with 150,000 on PlayStation 5 and only 35,000 on Steam near its launch. MindsEye launched on June 10, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store to less-than-favorable reception.
MindsEye co-CEO Mark Gerhard famously claimed the “very American company” spent more than one million euros in 2025 through a UK-based company called ‘Ritual Network’ to conduct a smear campaign and sabotage the game. He alleged that the campaign involved several influencers, three journalists, and even Build a Rocket Boy employees.
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