Build a Rocket Boy, the studio behind MindsEye, has reportedly been hit by another large wave of layoffs, adding more uncertainty to the future of the already troubled game. According to a report from Kotaku, around 170 employees may have been affected by the latest cuts. The report also suggests that the studio could now be down to roughly 80 remaining staff members. Build a Rocket Boy has not publicly confirmed the layoffs at the time of reporting. This would mark the third major round of layoffs at the studio within the past year. The first wave came shortly after the launch of MindsEye in June 2025, while another round reportedly followed in March 2026.
Staff Members Confirm Departures Online
Although the studio has not issued an official statement, several former Build a Rocket Boy employees have referenced the latest redundancies in posts on LinkedIn. Among those who have publicly shared that they were affected are senior game designer James Tyler and audio designer Tom Cross. Members of the game’s community team have also reportedly confirmed their departures through the official MindsEye Discord server.
The public posts have added weight to reports that the studio is undergoing another major internal downsizing.
MindsEye’s Difficult Launch Continues to Affect the Studio
The layoffs come after a difficult period for Build a Rocket Boy. MindsEye launched in June 2025, but the game quickly faced heavy criticism from players and reviewers. After the first round of redundancies, a group of Build a Rocket Boy staff sent an open letter to company leadership. In that letter, employees criticized the studio’s management and described MindsEye’s launch as one of the worst video game launches of the decade.
The situation did not improve much in the months that followed. Reports of further layoffs, internal frustration and concerns about the studio’s direction continued to surround the company.
Blacklisted Update Was Meant to Start a Comeback
The latest reported layoffs arrived shortly after the release of MindsEye’s new Blacklisted update. The update added a new mission through Arcadia, the game’s user-generated content platform. It was presented as an important step in the studio’s attempt to rebuild confidence in the game and start a wider comeback.
However, early reactions to the update have not been especially positive. PC Gamer described the Blacklisted mission as disappointing and said it failed to deliver meaningful evidence connected to the studio’s earlier claims about sabotage.
Questions Remain About the Future of MindsEye
The latest staff cuts raise serious questions about what happens next for MindsEye and Build a Rocket Boy’s broader ambitions. The studio had previously promoted Arcadia and its wider platform vision as a major part of the game’s future. But with the company reportedly reduced to a much smaller team, it is unclear how much of that long-term plan can realistically continue.
At the time of writing, player activity also appears to remain very low on PC. Reports noted that only a small number of players were active on Steam during the latest coverage of the layoffs.
For now, Build a Rocket Boy has not publicly addressed the latest reports. But the new round of layoffs, combined with MindsEye’s troubled launch and weak post-release momentum, suggests the studio is still facing a difficult road ahead.