Build a Rocket Boy has reportedly laid off additional staff, with the Scotland-based MindsEye developer’s headcount dropping to about 80. The latest cuts follow multiple rounds of downsizing after the game’s troubled launch and come amid canceled plans with IO
Around 170 staff have reportedly been laid off by Build a Rocket Boy, the Scotland-based developer behind MindsEye, and the studio’s workforce is now down to roughly 80.
The exact number affected in this latest round isn’t clear. There has been no official announcement from BARB at the time of writing, and Engadget says it reached out to the studio for comment. Still, the departures are being confirmed by former staff members in recent posts on LinkedIn.
Among those publicly naming their exits are Technical Level Designer James Tyler and Audio Designer Tom Cross, along with others.
This is the most recent hit in a year of layoffs for BARB. The developer has undergone several rounds of staff cuts following the disastrous launch of MindsEye. The previous wave was announced in early March.
The downturn didn’t stop at staffing. Shortly after the earlier cuts, the studio parted ways with partner IO Interactive, and MindsEye now has BARB as its exclusive publisher. A planned crossover with IO’s Hitman series was also canceled.
BARB has repeatedly argued that the buggy state of MindsEye at launch drove much of the early backlash—but that the game and studio were also harmed by internal and external “sabotage.” The claim has been unusual in its details. too: the studio even promised to share more information about the alleged conspiracy within playable DLC that was released earlier this month.
The timeline makes the pressure feel immediate: each new announcement arrives after another destabilizing turn—more layoffs, the loss of IO Interactive as a partner, and canceled plans that once pointed to a broader future for the project.
As the studio absorbs the latest reductions, no official line has been published on what comes next for MindsEye or for the people who remain at the company. The only confirmation so far is what former employees have already posted publicly—and the shrinking headcount that matches their timing.
Build a Rocket Boy BARB MindsEye layoffs Scotland studio James Tyler Tom Cross IO Interactive Hitman crossover cybersecurity digital trends
80 staff?? That game was a mess on day one, guess that’s the bill.
Not surprised they cut more people. I saw something about “sabotage” and honestly that sounds like excuses to me. If it was buggy then just fix it?
Wait so IO Interactive got dropped like right after the layoffs? I thought IO owned all the Hitman stuff so wouldn’t that be huge. Also “playable DLC” explaining conspiracy?? That feels kinda wild and random.
Everybody keeps saying “cybersecurity sabotage” like that explains why it launched broken. Maybe they cut staff because BARB wanted it to fail or something? And the headcount to 80… I don’t even know how big a studio is supposed to be for a game like that. Sounds like it’s spiraling.