After a catastrophic launch with MindsEye, wave upon wave of layoffs, more than 400 jobs cut and several controversies surrounding its working practices and its management, Build a Rocket Boy now looks to have reached the end of the road, with a number of employees announcing their departures and sources close to the matter claiming the studio is closing its doors for good. Founded by Leslie Benzies (the long-time producer on GTA and Red Dead Redemption) and Mark Gerhard, Build a Rocket Boy had already made more than one attempt to turn things around, but nothing now seems capable of reversing the trend.
The first signs came from LinkedIn, where several employees have indicated in the past few hours that their time at the company was coming to an end. The message from Dan Hawkins, lead recruitment manager, leaves little room for doubt: he explains that he'll be sticking with Build a Rocket Boy "until the very end" to help the HR department wrap up the studio's remaining business. Sources close to the situation have also confirmed to Kotaku that Build a Rocket Boy is indeed closing permanently, even if a legal nuance remains regarding the company's official dissolution. Liam Shannon, level designer, Elizabet Tyaneva, QA analyst, Michaela Emslie, release manager, and Cameron Deaves, QA producer, have all indicated that their time at Build a Rocket Boy was coming to an end. This was far from the Scottish studio's first round of layoffs: since MindsEye launched in June 2025, Build a Rocket Boy had already cut more than 400 jobs, struggling to salvage the situation around its ambitious open-world action game.
MindsEye: a cautionary tale?
Sadly, this final chapter doesn't come as much of a surprise. Touted for years as a project capable of going toe to toe with the biggest open-world games, MindsEye had a particularly rough launch in June 2025. Bugs, technical problems, savage reviews and disappointing sales quickly sank the studio's ambitions. Build a Rocket Boy had nonetheless tried to rescue its game with updates and even additional content. Things grew even more tense when Mark Gerhard alleged criminal activity, citing "organised espionage" and "corporate sabotage" as part of the explanation for the studio's difficulties.
At the same time, working conditions had also caused controversy. The IWGB Games Workers' Union supported a collective action by staff over the studio's management, while employees spoke out about periods of crunch and surveillance practices.
The union responds to the latest layoffs
In the face of this fresh wave of departures, the union has once again offered its support to the staff affected. Vice-president Ben Newbon said the organisation stood in solidarity with everyone impacted and still intended to seek justice over the treatment of Build a Rocket Boy's employees. One important legal nuance remains: the studio ceasing operations doesn't necessarily mean the company will be immediately dissolved in legal terms. But after more than 400 job cuts and the latest departures, Build a Rocket Boy really does appear to have reached the end of the line.
