MindsEye Studio Accusations Escalate as Boss Points to internal “Sabotage“ Following Game’s disastrous Launch
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – Build A Rocket Boy, the studio behind the recently launched open-world game MindsEye, is embroiled in controversy as co-CEO Leslie Benzies publicly alleged internal forces worked to undermine the game’s reception.The accusations surfaced during a company meeting held just a week after redundancies were announced at the studio, according to a new report by the BBC.
Benzies reportedly stated, “I find it repulsive that anyone could sit amongst us, behave like this and continue to work here,” suggesting he believes individuals within the company actively contributed to the game’s negative reception.
Though,former employees paint a different picture of the issues leading to MindsEye’s poor performance. One former employee,Jamie,told the BBC,”Leslie never decided what game he wanted to make. There was no coherent direction.”
Other accounts detail a highly critical and controlling management style. Former lead data analyst Ben Newbon described “Leslie tickets”-issues flagged by Benzies while playing the game-receiving immediate and overriding priority.”It didn’t matter what else you were doing, what else was being worked on, the Leslie ticket had to be taken care of,” Newbon said. he also claimed that issues raised by other employees were frequently ignored. Margherita Peloso, a former employee who uses gender neutral pronouns, stated they were “laughed at” in meetings with bosses for voicing concerns.
The BBC report also highlights a period of intense “crunch culture” leading up to the game’s launch, with employees anticipating a negative response.
These allegations follow an open letter signed earlier this month by MindsEye developers condemning studio executives for “longstanding disrespect and mistreatment” following the game’s launch.
In a statement to the BBC, build A Rocket Boy acknowledged the dedication of its staff, stating they had “poured passion, creativity, and hard work into our games and our studio” and expressed being “deeply saddened” by the need for redundancies. The studio accepted ”full responsibility for the initial launch [of MindsEye],” admitting the released version “did not reflect the experiance our community deserved.”
This is not the first time the studio has blamed external factors for the game’s struggles. Prior to launch, co-CEO Mark Gerhard claimed on the MindsEye Discord server that negative reactions were “financed by someone” as part of a “concerted effort” against the studio.
Simultaneously occurring, MindsEye’s publisher, IO Interactive, has begun to distance itself from the project. CEO Hakan Abrak recently announced that IO Interactive will now publish its own games internally, leaving the future of IOI Partners uncertain.
