MindsEye developer cuts more jobs as CEO blames ‘criminal activity’ for failed launch

The trajectory of MindsEye, the third-person action title from Build a Rocket Boy, continues its descent into the surreal. Following a tumultuous debut last June, the project has been marred by controversy—most notably from co-CEO Mark Gerhard, who dismissed the game’s dismal reception as a “100 percent” funded smear campaign orchestrated by shadowy external forces. Despite efforts to stabilize the bug-ridden experience through refunds and damage control, the studio’s recovery attempts have largely faltered. Even a substantial content update last month failed to resuscitate the title; SteamDB data reveals an anemic peak of just 80 concurrent players in the weeks following the patch.

This brings us to the latest development in the studio’s troubled timeline. Build a Rocket Boy is currently navigating another wave of redundancies, with Gerhard once again attributing the commercial failure of MindsEye to external interference rather than internal execution.

In a recent LinkedIn statement, Gerhard acknowledged the layoffs while doubling down on the narrative that the game’s launch was crippled by “factors beyond normal operational challenges.” He insinuated that the studio was a victim of the very same coordinated assault he had previously alleged.

Gerhard further claimed that the studio is collaborating with legal experts to probe “criminal activity” surrounding the release. According to the CEO, this investigation has uncovered “overwhelming evidence of organized espionage and corporate sabotage” specifically targeting MindsEye. He noted that because the matter is currently escalating toward criminal prosecution, specific details remain confidential for the time being.

The rhetoric mirrors reports from Insider Gaming earlier this year, which suggested Gerhard told staff they had “caught the guys” behind the subversion. He reportedly characterized the antagonists as “a bunch of gangsters” who would soon face legal repercussions. This litigious stance was previously seen when the studio issued a cease-and-desist order against YouTuber Cyber Boi, following a video that attempted to link director Leslie Benzies to the Epstein documents.

Ultimately, the state of Build a Rocket Boy is defined by a chaotic blend of staff cuts, allegations of high-level subterfuge, and a struggling product. It is an extraordinary amount of drama for a game that, by most critical metrics, is fundamentally underwhelming.

Source: Polygon