Build A Rocket Boy, the studio behind the failed Mindseye, is nearing closure due to financial issues and widespread layoffs. This game, known as an imitation of the Grand Theft Auto series, faced severe criticism and low scores from reviewers.
Studio's Downward Spiral
In the early 2000s, similar games to GTA were produced in abundance, but today only a few developers attempt to imitate Rockstar's game style. One of the few recent attempts in this area is Mindseye from Build A Rocket Boy, founded by Leslie Benzies, former president of Rockstar Games.
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However, the game was considered a significant failure by critics and players, receiving only a score of 39 from 16 reviews on Metacritic and a user score of 2.7. This failure led to several rounds of layoffs at the studio over the past year, with some employees also taking legal action against management for alleged unwanted oversight.
New Layoffs and Uncertain Future
Recently, several remaining employees at the studio have reported being laid off from Build A Rocket Boy. Cameron Diaz, a production quality analyst, announced that his time at the studio has come to an end, a claim confirmed by other colleagues. Dan Hawkins, the studio's chief talent acquisition and human resources operations partner, indirectly indicated that the remaining team members have also been laid off.
Although Build A Rocket Boy has not officially announced its closure, reports suggest that the studio is "closing its doors." It is unclear how many people have been affected by these layoffs, but estimates indicate that after the last round of layoffs in May, about 100 employees remained at the studio.
According to sources, Leslie Benzies attributed the failure of Mindseye to both internal and external factors, and Mark Gerhard, co-CEO of the studio, mentioned the existence of coordinated efforts to undermine the game and the studio. However, he never explained why anyone would want to do this.
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