From GTA Glory to Gaming Gloom: The Rise and Fall of MindsEye

Tom Richardson from BBC Newsbeat reported on the troubled launch of MindsEye, a sci-fi video game developed by Build a Rocket Boy, a studio based in Edinburgh. The company is led by Leslie Benzies, who is well-known for his work on the Grand Theft Auto series. Expectations were high for MindsEye, but when it was released, it was met with harsh criticism. Players and reviewers described the game as buggy, broken, and even called it the worst game of 2025.

Shortly after the release, Leslie Benzies addressed the entire staff in a meeting. He assured them that there was a plan to fix the game, but also claimed that 'internal and external' forces were working against the company to sabotage the launch. He said he would try to find out who these 'saboteurs' were. Many employees were shocked by his words and did not believe there was a conspiracy. They felt the real reason for the game's failure was the lack of clear direction and rushed development.

Leslie Benzies had a strong reputation from his time at Rockstar Games, where he played a key role in the success of Grand Theft Auto. After leaving Rockstar in 2016, he founded Build a Rocket Boy, which quickly grew to hundreds of employees across several cities. The company attracted a lot of investment and spent large sums of money, but did not release any products for years. Their first project, Everywhere, was supposed to be a multiplayer role-playing game set in a futuristic city. However, Benzies kept changing the vision for the game, asking for new features to be added quickly, which made it difficult for the team to keep up. Eventually, the focus shifted to MindsEye, which was originally meant to be part of Everywhere.

The studio's management style was criticized by employees. An open letter signed by 93 current and former staff accused the leadership of making radical changes without consulting workers and ignoring feedback from experienced team members. Benzies was known for micromanaging, often giving out 'Leslie tickets'—tasks that had to be prioritized over everything else. This constant interference made it hard for teams to take ownership of their work and led to instability in the development process.

As the release date for MindsEye approached, the company imposed mandatory overtime, known as 'crunch,' which meant most staff had to work extra hours without pay. This period of intense work led to stress, fatigue, and more mistakes. Some departments, like quality assurance, were hit especially hard. Despite some positive feedback about the game's driving controls, MindsEye was plagued by bugs, such as characters walking on air and graphical glitches.

On launch day, the team celebrated with champagne, but the mood quickly changed as negative reviews and player complaints poured in. The developers spent the next two weeks working on 'hotfixes' to address major issues, but soon learned that many of them would be laid off. Between 250 and 300 employees lost their jobs, most of them in Edinburgh. The union representing game workers criticized the company for mishandling the redundancy process and announced plans for legal action.

Build a Rocket Boy released a statement expressing sadness over the layoffs and promising to learn from the experience. The company said it was committed to improving MindsEye and delivering the game players deserved. However, many former employees doubt the game can recover from its disastrous launch and worry about their future in an industry that has seen many job losses recently.

Despite the challenges, some workers spoke highly of their colleagues' talent and hope that by sharing their experiences, they can bring about positive change. They believe it is important to stand together and support each other during difficult times.