Dozens of employees and former workers at Mindseye developer Build a Rocket Boy have signed an open letter to the studio’s leadership, demanding a response to allegations of the staff being mistreated. Together with the Game Workers Branch of the Independent Workers of Great Britain, the 93 BARB employees and ex-employees have singled out studio leaders Mark Gerhard and former GTA lead developer Leslie Benzies, citing various issues.
According to the letter, BARB leadership allegedly failed to effectively communicate with workers, and staff were subjected to “unbearable” levels of overtime in the four months leading to the launch of MindsEye. The workers also claim that redundancies have been “mishandled” and have caused distress for all employees.
“These and many other issues, some of which have been made public already, have caused pain and stress for your employees,” the letter reads. “Our experience at the company has been one of burnout, job insecurity, health issues, and the failure of a game that many of us have put years of our lives into.”
The workers are demanding a public apology, proper compensation, and several other changes to provide a fair working environment and change the company culture. “Mark Gerhard and Leslie Benzies, you often refer to your employees as ‘family.’ But we ask you to consider, is this really how you treat your own?” the letter concluded.
BARB was founded by former Rockstar/GTA boss Leslie Benzies several years ago, and its first major release, the GTA-like MindsEye, became one of the worst-reviewed games of the year. Developers have been “working around the clock” since it launched in an effort to fix its many issues, but layoffs at the studio were reportedly happening following the game’s disastrous release. A pair of senior executives left the developer before the game launched.
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