Build A Rocket Boy resigns more and claims "espionage"

Chaos has taken over at Build A Rocket Boy. While the British studio struggles to keep the lights on after the disastrous launch of MindsEye, CEO Mark Gerhard has decided to double down on a narrative bordering on science fiction: organized espionage and corporate sabotage. In a statement that seems to come straight out of a low-budget conspiracy movie, Gerhard announced another round of layoffs for the Edinburgh team, which had already been on notice since the game flopped badly last year. It's morbidly entertaining to see an executive blame "criminal agents" for the fact that his game was released broken, full of glitches, and with an AI that barely works.

MindsEye's situation is a case study on how not to manage expectations. The project was born as part of Everywhere, that platform that promised to be an "adult Roblox" under the leadership of Leslie Benzies, former design boss of Grand Theft Auto. On paper, the idea of focusing on the story mode seemed like a smart pivot, but the execution delivered a product that, today, suffers from pathetic numbers. As I write this, Steam registers only 11 people playing simultaneously. It's a performance to be pitied, but for the board, the problem is not the bad code, but an alleged international conspiracy.

"This issue is progressing to criminal proceedings. We have overwhelming evidence of organized espionage and corporate sabotage affecting MindsEye," fired Mark Gerhard on LinkedIn.

Studio: Build A Rocket Boy (BARB).

Leadership: Mark Gerhard (CEO) and Leslie Benzies (on leave).

The Game: MindsEye.

Peak players: 39 people in the last 24 hours on Steam.

The developer community did not buy the excuse. In the comments on the official post, the atmosphere is one of disbelief, with professionals calling the CEO "delusional" and "incredibly rude" to the employees who are losing their jobs. Gerhard had previously attacked YouTuber Cyber Boi, accusing him of media manipulation and threatening him with lawsuits for receiving leaks from dissatisfied employees. It's the old tactic of shooting the messenger so as not to have to look at oneself and admit that the project management was a disaster.

Meanwhile, Leslie Benzies is on a "well-deserved temporary leave," according to a company spokesperson in a statement to The Times. It's convenient that the studio's main face is "recharging their batteries" just when the ship is sinking and accusations of sabotage are flying in all directions. If there was indeed a joint effort to destroy the game, as suggested by Gerhard by involving even IO Interactive (which promptly denied everything), the saboteurs did an unnecessary job, as the bugs and lack of public interest took care of it on their own.

The balance for those who remain at Build A Rocket Boy is one of pure uncertainty. Trying to save a game that no one plays while the board focuses on hunting ghosts and threatening content creators with "imminent legal papers" seems like a recipe for definitive closure. It's a shame that the legacy of industry veterans is being tarnished by such a defensive and disconnected posture from the technical reality of the software itself.

We wait to see if these "overwhelming evidence" will ever see the light of day or if they will just be the latest excuse before the doors close.