MindsEye Studio Build A Rocket Boy Reportedly Shutting Down

Build A Rocket Boy, the video game studio founded by former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies, is reportedly shutting down permanently following a new round of layoffs. The closure, which has not been officially confirmed by the company, appears to mark the end of the studio behind the widely criticized game MindsEye. Multiple employees announced their departures on LinkedIn on September 16, 2026, including level designer Liam Shannon, release manager Michaela Emslie, and QA analyst Elizabet Tyaneva. The most definitive indication of a full shutdown came from Dan Hawkins, the studio's principal talent acquisition partner, who posted that he would be "seeing BARB through till the very end, helping wrap things up here in the HR department." Sources familiar with the situation confirmed to reporters that Build A Rocket Boy is permanently closing its doors. The studio has not publicly commented on the reports. The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) issued a statement expressing solidarity with affected workers and reaffirming its commitment to "getting justice for Build A Rocket Boy management's treatment of workers.