Leslie Benzies, the developer behind some of Grand Theft Auto's most successful entries, left Rockstar Games in 2016 after a legal dispute over royalties. He founded Build a Rocket Boy (Barb) the same year, setting up headquarters in Edinburgh with additional studios in Budapest and Montpellier. By late 2024, the company employed 448 people and had raised over £233 million in funding. But it still hadn't shipped a finished game. Between 2020 and 2024, losses exceeded £200 million.
The Development of MindsEye
Barb's first project, Everywhere, was an ambitious multiplayer RPG set in a futuristic city. Staff described it as directionless, with Benzies requesting constant feature changes. Eventually, MindsEye became the studio's main focus, starting as a mode within Everywhere before spinning out into its own game. Former developers described the process as chaotic, with priorities shifting constantly and no stable foundation to build on.
Build a Rocket Boy Faces Fallout
Leadership and Internal Challenges
Management at Barb made major decisions without consulting the development team. An open letter signed by 93 current and former employees stated that leadership "repeatedly refused to listen" to experienced staff. Developers also dealt with "Leslie tickets," tasks personally assigned by Benzies that took priority over everything else. These ranged from minor visual tweaks to complete mission overhauls. The system disrupted workflows and left teams with little control over their own work.
Crunch and Staff Morale
In the months before MindsEye's June 2025 release, Barb entered mandatory crunch. Staff worked an extra eight unpaid hours per week. Former employees reported mounting stress as bugs piled up and fixed issues reappeared in later builds. Morale collapsed. Some developers described the final stretch as a grind marked by exhaustion and frustration, with the team racing to hit deadlines under unsustainable pressure.
Build a Rocket Boy Faces Fallout
Launch and Immediate Backlash
MindsEye launched on 10 June 2025. The studio celebrated internally, but players and critics immediately flagged performance problems, bugs, and graphical glitches. Twitch streams showed broken AI and character models clipping through environments. Barb pushed out rapid hotfixes, but the damage was done. Some employees admitted they saw the negative reception coming before launch.
Redundancies and Industry Implications
Weeks after launch, Barb announced layoffs affecting 250 to 300 employees, most of them in Edinburgh. The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) union criticized the process and said it would pursue legal action. Former staff worried about their job prospects in an industry that's already seen widespread cuts over the past few years.
Barb's Official Statement
Barb responded by acknowledging that staff had contributed "passion, creativity, and hard work" and said the company was "deeply saddened" by the layoffs. The studio admitted that MindsEye didn't meet expectations at launch and said leadership took full responsibility. It committed to releasing updates and new content to improve the game.
Build a Rocket Boy Faces Fallout
Looking Ahead for MindsEye
Despite the troubled launch and internal dysfunction, former employees recognize the talent at Barb. Many developers were highly skilled, but management and structural issues undercut their work. The situation highlights how ambitious projects can collapse under poor leadership, unstable workflows, and industry pressures that push studios to chase trends instead of building solid foundations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is Leslie Benzies? Leslie Benzies is a former senior producer at Rockstar Games, known for his work on the Grand Theft Auto series. He founded Build a Rocket Boy in 2016 after leaving Rockstar.
What is MindsEye? MindsEye is a sci-fi adventure game developed by Build a Rocket Boy. It launched in June 2025 but was immediately criticized for bugs, performance problems, and unstable gameplay.
Why did MindsEye fail? Former employees point to unclear direction, constant last-minute feature changes, excessive crunch, and management practices like "Leslie tickets" that disrupted development.
How many employees were affected by layoffs at Build a Rocket Boy? Between 250 and 300 employees, mostly based in Edinburgh, lost their jobs after MindsEye's launch.
Is Build a Rocket Boy still updating MindsEye? Yes. Barb has released updates to address issues and says it's working on improvements and new content.
What impact will this have on the Scottish game development scene? Former employees worry that Barb's collapse could hurt the Scottish gaming industry, given the studio's size and the amount of investment it attracted.
