Tag: Leslie Benzies

Key Takeaways

1. Game Development Turmoil: MindsEye faced significant challenges during its development, leading to harsh criticism and being labeled as “one of the worst games” upon release.

2. Lack of Direction: Former employees highlighted a disorganized atmosphere, with unclear goals from leadership that contributed to the project’s struggles.

3. Ineffective Management: Decisions made by upper management often disregarded employee feedback, leading to inefficient workflows and low morale among staff.

4. Mass Layoffs and Legal Action: Recent layoffs affected 250-300 employees, prompting legal action from the union representing the workers, amid claims of poor management.

5. Acknowledgment of Failures: Build A Rocket Boy’s leadership accepted responsibility for the game’s shortcomings, expressing a commitment to improve and learn from the experience.

---

The saga surrounding MindsEye continues as new claims emerge from ex-employees, shedding light on the turmoil during the game’s development. Released in June, the game faced harsh criticism, with reviews labeling it as “one of the worst games” many had ever experienced, disappointing a large number of users.

Development Challenges

Once highly anticipated due to Benzies’ influence in transforming the Grand Theft Auto franchise into a cultural phenomenon, Build A Rocket Boy raised over $300 million by 2024 and grew to 448 employees with offices in Edinburgh, Budapest, and Montpellier.

Initially, the studio set its sights on an ambitious multiplayer RPG titled Everywhere, which promised user-generated content in a futuristic open world. However, the studio later pivoted to focus on MindsEye, which was initially seen as a supplementary experience for Everywhere.

Internal Struggles

Former employees describe a dismal atmosphere filled with dysfunction. Jamie, a staff member who departed BARB in 2022, shared with the BBC that “Leslie never decided what game he wanted to make,” which led to “no coherent direction” that “haunted the project from its inception.”

Ben Newbon, a former lead data analyst, discussed the frequent “knee-jerk” decisions made by upper management, where essential feedback was regularly “ignored and never acted upon.” Meanwhile, Benzies’ tendency to micromanage turned into what the team referred to as “Leslie tickets” or “Leslie bugs.”

Disrupted Workflows

All direct orders from Leslie Benzies took priority over the development team’s ongoing tasks, hindering their ability to manage their own workflows. Margherita “Marg” Peloso, a former associate producer, added that any efforts to voice concerns were “met with laughter in meetings with the bosses.”

This led to a work environment where employees felt “commanded to give a lot to the company without receiving much in return.” Isaac Hudd, a former audio programmer, noted that the rapid feature changes requested by Benzies at “breakneck speed” were too rushed for proper execution, causing regressions where one team’s work undid another’s solutions.

Hudd further expressed, “And it does mess with you. You really do start to see the morale drop, and small arguments begin to arise. People burning the candle at both ends and starting to wonder: ‘What’s the point?’”

Layoffs and Legal Actions

Earlier this month, between 250 and 300 BARB employees were let go, with most being from the Edinburgh studio. The IWGB union’s Game Workers Branch announced it would pursue legal action on behalf of the affected staff.

In response, Build A Rocket Boy stated that it aims to manage the redundancy process with “care and transparency,” while also expressing its “commitment to learning and growing.”

In the studio’s statement, it elaborated, “Leslie and the whole senior management team take full responsibility for MindsEye’s initial launch. The version of the game that was released did not reflect the experience our community deserved.”

Despite releasing hotfixes and Update 4 to fix bugs and enhance gameplay, former staff like Newbon view the situation as a “wasted” chance for Scotland’s gaming industry during a time when layoffs have surpassed tens of thousands across the sector.

The entire MindsEye controversy has left the lead actor anxious about future job prospects, and IO Interactive has decided to pause its third-party publishing efforts.

Source:
Link

---

 

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.

Source:
Link

---

 

Key Takeaways

1. Build a Rocket Boy, founded by Leslie Benzies, is launching its debut project Mindseye on June 10.
2. Co-CEO Mark Gerhard claims negative media feedback is part of a “concerted effort” against the game and studio.
3. Gerhard suggested that negative responses may be funded, indicating a belief in organized attacks against them.
4. He clarified that while he didn’t accuse individual users of being paid, he mentioned the presence of bot farms posting negative comments.
5. The latest gameplay trailer for Mindseye received mixed reviews, with some critiques questioning the game’s quality and originality.

---

Build a Rocket Boy, a studio founded by ex-Rockstar producer Leslie Benzies, has been developing its debut project named Mindseye, which is set to launch on June 10. Last year, Mark Gerhard joined the company as co-CEO and has been involved in the upcoming game. Following the release of the latest gameplay trailer on May 27, Gerhard made bold statements regarding the negative feedback the game has received.

Discord Discussions Heat Up

In the official Discord for Mindseye, Gerhard asserted that the unfavorable media surrounding the game is a “concerted effort” against both Mindseye and the studio itself. The conversation intensified when Gerhard reacted to a question about whether he believed someone was funding the negative responses. He confidently stated “100%” and added, “Doesn’t take much to guess who.”

Addressing Concerns of Users

A Discord member known as ‘Cyber Boi’ had earlier expressed worries about the upcoming release. In response to comments regarding these worries, Gerhard clarified that he never suggested Cyber Boi was being paid, but mentioned a “concerted effort by some people that don’t want to see Leslie or Build A Rocket Boy succeed. They are trying hard to trash the game and the studio. It’s pretty easy to spot the bots and the repeated comments to any content we release.”

Backtracking on Serious Claims

Given the weight of his accusations regarding paid negative comments, other users attempted to challenge him. However, he somewhat softened his stance, claiming, “No, I never said that. I do KNOW that there are bot farms posting negative comments and dislikes.”

The Discord talk followed the release of the latest Mindseye trailer, which outlines the game’s story, mechanics, and build mode. Both the original and the recent trailer received mixed reactions, with some critiques labeling it “a generic AI parody of what video games look like to regular people” and “a low-budget game trying its best to appear as a high-octane big-budget AAA title.”

Source:
Link