Build A Rocket Boy appears to be winding down after new layoffs
IGN and Kotaku report that Build A Rocket Boy may be permanently winding down after another round of layoffs.
- Kotaku cites LinkedIn posts from Liam Shannon, Elizabet Tyaneva, Michaela Emslie, Cameron Deaves, and Dan Hawkins as signs of the wind-down.
- The provided sources do not include an official public confirmation from Build A Rocket Boy that the studio is definitively closing.
What happened
IGN reported that multiple Build A Rocket Boy employees said they had been laid off. That renewed questions about the future of the studio behind MindsEye, which launched in June 2025 and was reportedly poorly received.
Kotaku wrote the same day that the studio was “seemingly” being permanently wound down after a new round of layoffs. The article points to LinkedIn posts from Liam Shannon, Elizabet Tyaneva, Michaela Emslie, and Cameron Deaves, who reportedly confirmed their departures.
Kotaku also cites Dan Hawkins, who according to the article was a principal talent acquisition partner at Build A Rocket Boy. He wrote that he and his colleagues would help BARB “until the end” while the studio is permanently wound down.
The reports fit into a longer series of staff cuts. IGN says Build A Rocket Boy previously sent at-risk-of-redundancy emails to its then roughly 300-person UK workforce, after the company had more than 500 employees at its peak. The studio later tried to bring MindsEye back into the spotlight with the Blacklisted update, but according to IGN that did little to change the situation.
Timeline
2025-06: MindsEye launches and is reportedly poorly received, according to IGN.
2025-07: IGN reports that Build A Rocket Boy sent at-risk-of-redundancy emails to its then roughly 300 UK employees.
2026-05: Eurogamer reports that the studio allegedly laid off another 170 workers.
2026-summer: According to Eurogamer, laid-off employees protested outside the office over an “all-expenses-paid” playtest/fan event.
2026-09-16: IGN reports that multiple employees say they have been laid off and that there are questions about Build A Rocket Boy’s future.
2026-09-16: Kotaku publishes a report saying the MindsEye studio may be permanently winding down.
2026-09-16: Kotaku cites LinkedIn posts from Liam Shannon, Elizabet Tyaneva, Michaela Emslie, Cameron Deaves, and Dan Hawkins as signs of the wind-down.
Background
Build A Rocket Boy was founded by Leslie Benzies and is also linked to Mark Gerhard in the provided sources. The studio is best known as the maker of MindsEye.
According to IGN, Build A Rocket Boy had more than 500 employees at its peak, while its UK workforce later stood at around 300 when the first at-risk-of-redundancy emails were sent. The sources also say the Blacklisted update did not materially improve the situation around MindsEye.
The provided information does not include a formal company statement, an exact number of layoffs in the latest round, or confirmation that any part of the studio’s operations will continue. As a result, Build A Rocket Boy’s status remains dependent on further official communication.