MindsEye studio Build a Rocket Boy reportedly hit with another wave of layoffs

It has been reported that Build a Rocket Boy, the studio behind the critically panned MindsEye, has been subject to another wave of layoffs after releasing an in-game mission containing “evidence” of sabotage.

The details:

• According to Kotaku, “sources familiar with the restructuring" have confirmed that around 170 employees across various departments have been affected by the cuts, leaving the studio with just 80 members of staff. This is the third wave of layoffs over the past year, having laid off hundreds of employees last year and in March.
• The cuts come just weeks after BARB added a new mode, Blacklisted, to MindsEye, which the studio says references the alleged real-world sabotage of the game’s launch by unnamed bad actors.
• Since the poorly received launch of MindsEye in June 2025, BARB has been the subject of several lawsuits accusing its ownership, including CEO Mark Gerhard, of mistreating and spying on employees. Meanwhile, Gerhard has claimed that the game’s commercial failure was partly due to "criminal activity", which he said that the studio was investigating alongside its legal team.