Key Takeaways
1. Poor Management and Working Conditions: 93 developers have accused Leslie Benzies of mismanagement and unfavorable work environments at Build A Rocket Boy.
2. Lack of Transparency: The developers claim there is a significant lack of communication and transparency from management, leading to intense crunch periods.
3. Significant Layoffs: Over 250 layoffs occurred, with reports of misleading information and improper evaluations of employees’ skills during the process.
4. Health Issues Among Staff: Prolonged crunch periods have led to severe mental and physical health problems for employees, beyond typical burnout.
5. Leadership Accountability: Former employees criticize the studio’s leadership for refusing to accept responsibility for the game’s failure and the resulting layoffs.
If more updates are coming, MindsEye is in a tricky situation, having lost support from its players. On top of that, 93 developers have penned an open letter that accuses Leslie Benzies of poor management and unfavorable working conditions.
Lack of Transparency
With the backing of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, the developers claim that Build A Rocket Boy’s management is lacking in transparency and communication. They’ve also reported intense crunch periods, with some weeks requiring as much as eight hours of unpaid overtime after the launch of MindsEye.
Layoffs and Mismanagement
Recently, over 250 layoffs have taken place, and the way they were handled has been far from ideal, with misleading information and incorrect evaluations of employees’ skills in relation to their roles.
In response to these serious claims, Spring McparlinJones, the chair of the IWGB’s video game workers’ committee, shared her thoughts with IGN:
“The treatment that workers at Build A Rocket Boy have endured over the last twelve months has been horrifying. They have been consistently belittled, deceived, and manipulated by the company they devoted years to. It’s alarming to realize that a decade ago, executives like Leslie Benzies and Mark Gerhard could mistreat their workers with no consequences. I am proud to say that times have changed.”
Voices of Discontent
Moreover, former employee Ben Newbon mentioned that the studio ignored the developers’ concerns, contributing to the downfall of MindsEye:
“Prior to the disastrous launch of MindsEye, staff experienced prolonged crunch periods, leading to severe mental and physical health issues, beyond the usual burnout. The studio’s leadership has refused to accept responsibility for the game’s failure and instead chose to blame outsiders, as if individual workers or online influencers could be the cause. The arrogance of the leadership to think they can operate without accountability during development and the subsequent layoffs has compelled me and many others, both former and current employees, to take a stand.”
The studio has yet to respond to the open letter. To further highlight the discomfort surrounding this failure, the actor portraying Jacob Diaz recently voiced his concerns.
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