More Layoffs Reportedly Hit MindsEye Developer Build a Rocket Boy

UPDATE: A statement from the IWGB workers’ union to Rock, Paper, Shotgun has clarified earlier reporting on further staff members leaving MindsEye maker Build a Rocket Boy this week.

According to the union and its own sources within the studio, these latest departures are part of the same wave of layoffs previously announced back in March. Rather than these being further job losses, then, these are simply the delayed result of the company’s earlier action.

“Many, like myself, were locked out of their work accounts on the day they were laid off,” wrote IWGB spokesperson and ex-Build A Rocket Boy employee Kirby Lipardo. “However, several of my colleagues remained working there for a period of time, which we believe is now coming to a close.”

ORIGINAL STORY: Beleaguered MindsEye developer Build a Rocket Boy has reportedly been rocked by another round of redundancies at the studio, according to Kotaku. This marks the third time the studio has been struck with layoffs in the past year.

While Build a Rocket Boy is yet to publicly comment on the layoffs, Kotaku reports that sources have indicated that around 170 staff have been impacted, and that the studio is now hovering at approximately 80 remaining employees.

A number of Build a Rocket Boy staff have subsequently been spotted referencing “the latest redundancies” at the studio in LinkedIn posts announcing they’ve been unfortunately laid off, including senior game designer James Tyler, audio designer Tom Cross, and more. Several members of the community team have also publicly confirmed they’ll no longer be working with Build a Rocket Boy via the official MindsEye Discord channel.

MindsEye’s June 2025 launch was immediately followed by a significant round of layoffs at the studio, commencing the following month. In the wake of these redundancies, Build a Rocket Boy staff united and sent a damning open letter to the company’s management, calling for change and acknowledging MindsEye unfortunately endured “one of the worst video game launches this decade.” Further layoffs followed in March this year.

These newly discovered redundancies come just a week after the arrival of MindsEye’s official ‘Blacklisted’ update, which is a new mission delivered via the game’s user-generated content platform ‘Arcadia.’ The mission is intended to mark the beginning of a comeback bid for the game, and was supposedly going to include evidence supporting studio management claims that Build a Rocket Boy and MindsEye had been sabotaged prior to its disastrous launch.

While console player figures are not available, at the time of writing, six people are currently playing MindsEye on Steam.