MindsEye studio reportedly lays off 170 employees after another troubled update cycle

Build A Rocket Boy, the studio behind MindsEye, has reportedly laid off around 170 employees in the latest blow to the troubled developer. The report says the studio’s headcount has been reduced to roughly 80 people, with affected staff including level designers, audio designers, QA workers, community staff and social team members. This follows earlier layoffs, legal action from staff, the end of IO Interactive’s publishing partnership and the cancellation of a planned Hitman crossover DLC. MindsEye launched in 2025 to harsh criticism, and the studio later claimed the game had been affected by organized sabotage and attacks. A recent update introduced Blacklisted mode, seemingly built around those claims, but it did not appear to change the studio’s trajectory. For the industry, this is another painful example of how quickly ambitious projects can collapse after a failed launch. For players, it is also a reminder that behind controversial games are real development teams facing very real consequences.