MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy has confirmed plans to cut a number of jobs. The news comes two weeks after its debut title, MindsEye, launched to widespread negativity.
As reported by IGN, studio sources initially claimed the company had commenced a layoff process that could affect over 100 employees. That figure was reported due the commencement of a standard 45-day consultation process beginning on June 23—which according to UK law is triggered when over 100 redundancies are proposed to take place within a 90 day period.
Build A Rocket Boy has since issued a statement to IGN confirming a number of layoffs, without specifying how many people will be impacted.
“While we are working to reassign roles for as many of those impacted by these changes as possible, sadly we are initiating a formal consultation process that may result in redundancies,” reads the statement. “This decision has not been made lightly, and we are committed to handling this process with transparency, fairness, and respect for all employees. We will provide further details to the team over the coming weeks.”
The studio described the launch of MindsEye, which took place on June 10, as a “significant milestone” but admitted it has “a lot more to do to grow our community in the coming years.” The title currently has a ‘Mostly Negative’ rating on Steam with 1,845 reviews. IGN scored it a 4/10, while GameSpot gave it a 3/10.
“The challenges we’ve faced have only strengthened our resolve and, while we are deeply saddened by today’s decision and thankful to our incredible team, this shift allows us to focus on delivering ongoing updates and performance optimization for MindsEye, while also ensuring the long-term success of Build A Rocket Boy’s future ambitions,” continues the statement.
It’s the latest challenge for a company that continues to make headlines and comes after two executives at the studio made sudden exits just before MindsEye hit shelves. At around the same time, VG247 reported that studio co-CEO Mark Gerhard claimed there’s been a “concerted effort to trash the game and the studio” in the MindsEye Discord server.
