AppWizard
October 20, 2025
Build a Rocket Boy (Barb), founded by Leslie Benzies, raised £233 million and employed 448 staff by 2024. The studio's flagship project, Everywhere, evolved into MindsEye but faced internal struggles, including employee discontent over management practices. A letter from 93 former employees accused Benzies and Mark Gerhard of systemic mistreatment and mismanagement. Employees reported a culture of micro-management and erratic decision-making, leading to low morale and unpaid overtime. Following the release of MindsEye, which received negative reviews, Benzies blamed internal "saboteurs" for the criticism. Recently, Barb laid off 250 to 300 employees, prompting the IWGB union to announce plans for legal action against the company for worker mistreatment. Barb claimed to have approached the redundancy process with care and transparency and acknowledged the shortcomings of MindsEye's launch, pledging to refine the game.
