Build a Rocket Boy, the studio behind the disaster-stricken MindsEye, is officially shutting down after a string of layoffs, mounting controversy, accusations of corporate espionage, and protests.
The closure follows what appears to be a final round of job cuts, affecting at least 170 employees, according to social media posts and industry reports citing developers announcing their departure from the company. MindsEye, the studio's flagship title, launched to widespread criticism in June 2025, with many valid criticisms pointing to blatantly unfinished areas of the game, glitches, unstable performance, and numerous other issues.
MindsEye was later named one of the worst games of the year. Despite a major update earlier in 2026, the game failed to recover its reputation or financial viability, causing the studio to go into a death spiral.
"With a very heavy heart I raise my green banner, along with the rest of my colleagues at Build a Rocket Boy. I am 'Open to Work' actively looking for a new adventure[...]. I will be seeing BARB through till the very end, helping wrap things up here in the HR department. But I would be very interested in hearing about any opportunities, both within and outside of the games industry to join growing companies," said Dan Hawkins, Build a Rocket Boy's principal talent acquisition partner in a LinkedIn post
The studio's permanent door closing was long in the making. Build a Rocket Boy had already weathered multiple layoffs and a high-profile union grievance led by the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain.
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For now, the fate of MindsEye's IP and remaining intellectual property remains unclear. The closure adds to a growing trend of AAA studios collapsing under poor management, unrealistic expectations, unsustainable development practices, and releasing a product that ultimately wasn't at a level of completion that buyers could enjoy without noticing issues.
