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MindsEye entlässt 300 Mitarbeiter; Ex-GTA-Chef Benzies spricht sich an Mitarbeiter

by Zachary Apr 02,2026

The situation at Build A Rocket Boy (BARB) — the UK-based studio behind MindsEye — has taken a dramatic turn following a disastrous launch and mounting internal turmoil. Here's a breakdown and analysis of what’s happening, based on the latest reports:

🔥 Key Developments:

1. Mass Layoff Notices Issued

~300 UK employees have received formal redundancy notices from BARB, triggering a mandatory 45-day consultation period under UK law (required when 100+ layoffs are planned within 90 days).
The move follows the troubled launch of MindsEye, a highly anticipated story-driven action-adventure game built on a vision of a "Roblox for adults" (originally part of the Everywhere platform initiative).
PlayFusion, another studio acquired by BARB in late 2024 and led by co-CEO Mark Gerhard, has also been affected — with similar job risk notices sent to its team.

2. Game Launch Fallout: A Commercial and Critical Failure

MindsEye launched to massive player backlash:
- Peak concurrent players: 3,302 (Steam), but dropped to just 46 in a 24-hour period.
- As of now, only 26 players are active on Steam — a steep decline.
- The game holds a "mostly negative" review rating on Steam, despite being a high-budget, narrative-heavy title.
Players reported:
- Severe performance issues (crashes, frame drops).
- Glitchy AI behavior (e.g., NPCs walking through walls, looping animations).
- Unplayable bugs, including game-breaking issues with progression and dialogue.

3. Publisher and Developer Response: Confusion and Controversy

BARB issued a statement confirming the redundancy process, claiming it was necessary to “focus on delivering ongoing updates and performance optimization for MindsEye” while protecting future projects.
Leslie Benzies, former GTA creative director and driving force behind Everywhere, addressed staff in a July 2 video call, insisting the studio would "recover and relaunch" MindsEye. He cited:
- "Internal and external saboteurs."
- Allegations of paid negative reviews and spam bots to damage the game’s reputation.
Mark Gerhard (co-CEO) echoed these claims before launch, stating there was a "concerted effort" to "trash the game and the studio."
IO Interactive’s CEO denied these claims, calling them baseless and damaging to the industry’s trust.

4. Reality Check: What’s Actually Happening?

Player trust is shattered:
- Sony, known for strict refund policies, saw multiple players successfully claim refunds — a rare occurrence.
- Sponsored streams were canceled, including for major influencers, signaling loss of confidence from marketing and PR teams.
Post-launch updates are coming, but late:
- The third post-launch update has now released for consoles (PC version pending).
- BARB says they’ve analyzed "hundreds of hours" of gameplay and feedback to prioritize fixes.
However, doubt remains over whether BARB can deliver on its post-launch roadmap, including:
- The promised multiplayer mode.
- Long-term content plans.
- Rebuilding player trust.

5. The Bigger Picture: A Fractured Vision

MindsEye was meant to be a bold reinvention of adult-oriented user-generated content, blending narrative depth with creative freedom.
But the pivot from Everywhere to a standalone game failed to deliver on core promises — and the studio appears to have overestimated its ability to ship a polished, stable product under pressure.
The culture of blame (accusing "saboteurs" and "bots") is undermining credibility, especially as internal morale crumbles.

📉 Why This Matters

Industry-wide red flag: A major studio with roots in GTA, a strong creative team, and a $100M+ investment is now facing mass layoffs just months after launch.
Trust in "next-gen creative platforms" is at stake — if MindsEye fails, it could deter investment in similar ambitious, player-driven projects.
Player expectations are shifting: Gamers are no longer forgiving of buggy, poorly optimized launches — especially when big names are involved.

🔮 Looking Ahead: Can BARB Recover?

Possible redemption? There’s still internal hope that a successful patch cycle and renewed focus could revive the game — but only if:
- Critical bugs are fixed fast.
- The multiplayer mode and roadmap are delivered on time.
- Leadership stops blaming players and instead listens to feedback.
Unlikely, but not impossible: MindsEye could become a cautionary tale — or a long-shot comeback story like Cyberpunk 2077, which, despite a rocky start, eventually found redemption through patches and a dedicated fanbase.

🧩 Final Takeaway

"MindsEye" was built on a dream of creative freedom for adults — but it crashed under the weight of technical debt, overpromising, and a toxic culture of blame.
With hundreds of jobs at risk, and players fleeing in droves, BARB now faces an existential test.
Can they pivot from a "we’re being sabotaged" narrative to a "we’re fixing it" one?
The answer lies not in who’s to blame — but in whether they can deliver, fast, transparently, and honestly.

For now, the game is a symptom of a deeper crisis — not just in development, but in leadership, execution, and trust.

🔔 Stay tuned: The next 30–60 days will be critical. If BARB delivers a stable, feature-complete update with genuine community engagement, there might still be a path forward.
But if the same issues persist — and layoffs continue — this could mark the end of a bold, if flawed, vision.

Follow up: Will you give MindsEye a second chance after the next patch? Or is it time to write it off?

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