Mindseye developers protest over alleged ‘playtest’ scheme amid studio woes
Former MindsEye developers are staging a protest this Saturday outside Build a Rocket Boy’s Edinburgh office, fueled by accusations of a deceptive ‘all-expenses-paid playtest’ orchestrated by the studio.
A bitter fallout from a failed launch
The IWGB Game Workers Union, representing the same workforce embroiled in controversy surrounding the stalledGTA 6 development, is leading the charge. They allege BARB – Build a Rocket Boy – is flying in fans to test out new features for the troubled MindsEye this weekend, a move viewed as a callous attempt to salvage the project after a disastrous initial release.
This isn’t simply about disgruntled employees; it’s about a pattern of concerning behavior. The union is protesting the studio’s decision to fund this event amidst a year of mass layoffs and escalating disputes over alleged employee surveillance, union blacklisting, and opaque redundancy procedures. Approximately 20 individuals, including those recently dismissed from BARB, and their supporters are expected to participate.
The mindseye legacy: a series of missed opportunities
The situation stems from the spectacularly underwhelming debut of MindsEye, initially conceived as a premium title for Leslie Benzies’ ‘Roblox for adults’ platform, Everywhere. The project ultimately shifted focus to MindsEye itself, a gamble that spectacularly failed, sending the studio’s UK workforce into at-risk-of-redundancy limbo just months after launch.
BARB initially issued statements expressing “heartbreak” over player feedback concerning performance issues, glitches, and AI behavior. Subsequent ‘Blacklisted’ updates, intended to address these shortcomings, yielded minimal results – with Steam concurrent player counts peaking at a dismal 48. It’s a damning indictment of a project that never truly found its footing.
Even Rockstar parent company Take-Two’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, recently offered a bleak assessment of the industry's current landscape, noting the increasing difficulty of producing commercially successful titles. His comments underscored the challenges facing BARB, suggesting that even exceptional talent isn't a guarantee of success – a sobering reality for a studio struggling to regain momentum.
A studio on the brink
This protest represents the latest and arguably most explosive development at BARB. The studio's attempts to resurrect MindsEye through the ‘Blacklisted’ update proved futile. The situation highlights a broader crisis of confidence within the studio, raising serious questions about its long-term viability. The fallout is far from over and the future of BARB remains deeply uncertain.