After 250 Job Losses and 'Disastrous' Management, MindsEye Staff Past and Present Unite in Open Call For Better Conditions, as Further Layoffs Feared

More than 90 unit who worked connected this year's blockbuster flop MindsEye person sent a searing unfastened missive to the company's absorption calling for change, aft "one of the worst video crippled launches this decade."

The missive states that betwixt 250 and 300 unit person present mislaid their jobs owed to MindsEye's failure, thing which is blamed squarely connected the decisions of institution bosses. There's beardown criticism, too, of the mode layoffs were handled, with the proposition that misinformation whitethorn person pb to the "wrongful dismissal of dozens of unit members."

Today's letter, published done UK crippled improvement idiosyncratic national IWGB, calls connected MindsEye developer Build a Rocket Boy, and specifically its laminitis Leslie Benzies and co-CEO Mark Gerhard, to apologise for the "mistreatment" of unit and supply "proper compensation for laid-off employees," arsenic good arsenic marque improvements to layoff processes, up of what sounds similar expected "future reduncies."

"For years, you person expected [employees] to accommodate to your each whim, with those successful disagreement being unopen down oregon formed aside," the missive reads. "These layoffs happened due to the fact that you repeatedly refused to perceive to your workforce's years of experience, resulting successful 1 of the worst video crippled launches this decade."

Examples of issues faced owed to absorption failures see "radical changes" to moving practices with small explanation, "confusion and distress for each staff" arsenic redundancies began — including assorted errors successful the dismissal process, and 4 months of mandatory overtime up of MindsEye's motorboat for which unit accidental they inactive person not been afloat compensated.

"These and galore different issues," the missive continues, "have caused symptom and accent for your employees. Our acquisition astatine the institution has been 1 of burnout, occupation insecurity, wellness issues, and the nonaccomplishment of a crippled that galore of america person enactment years of our lives into."

In an email to IGN, the IWGB provided further quotes from erstwhile unit members backing up the letter's claims. One ex-MindsEye developer said that Build A Rocket Boy's "public statements of attraction person not matched the world of moving conditions" astatine the company. Another elaborate seeing "mental and adjacent carnal illnesses, beyond the accustomed burnout" among chap unit owed to the months of overtime.

"Studio enactment person chosen not to instrumentality work for the game's nonaccomplishment and alternatively blamed saboteurs, arsenic if idiosyncratic employees oregon online influencers could person caused this," 1 erstwhile worker stated, referencing the bizarre comments made by Gerhard up of merchandise that blamed unnamed hostile forces for the game's mediocre reception — a presumption that MindsEye steadfast IO Interactive aboriginal distanced itself from. "The arrogance of enactment to judge they tin enactment with impunity passim improvement and the pursuing redundancies has pushed myself and galore erstwhile and continuing employees to instrumentality a stand."

Originally planned arsenic a single-player constituent for Everywhere, a seemingly now-abandoned metaverse-style platform, MindsEye yet launched to a antagonistic effect and lackluster sales. Build a Rocket Boy has since said it wants to proceed moving connected the crippled and springiness it thing of a relaunch, though much precocious cautioned that this would instrumentality longer than planned.

Today's missive concludes with demands for a nationalist apology and due compensation, for remaining unit inactive astatine hazard of redundancy to instrumentality outgo successful permission of notice, a committedness to usage an outer spouse successful aboriginal layoffs to forestall unfair treatment, and for a "concerted, meaningful and documented effort to amended conditions and processes wrong the company."

"The attraction that workers astatine Build A Rocket Boy person been facing successful the past 12 months has been shocking," IWGB Game Workers chairperson Spring McparlinJones said successful a connection passed to IGN. "They person been routinely belittled, cheated, and manipulated by the institution they dedicated years of their lives to. Despite this, they were capable to support spot successful each different and enactment unneurotic to combat for just treatment."

Image credit: IWGB

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social