Build A Rocket Boy CEO Calls MindsEye Launch “the Worst in History,” but Still Blames Part of the Backlash on Alleged Sabotage

Build A Rocket Boy co CEO Mark Gerhard has delivered perhaps the bluntest verdict yet on MindsEye’s disastrous debut, saying in a new interview with GamesBeat that the game had “without doubt, the worst launch in history.” That is a remarkable admission from a studio leader, especially for a company that entered the market with major ambition, high profile leadership, and substantial funding behind Leslie Benzies’ post Rockstar venture. Gerhard’s comments come as the studio tries to reposition MindsEye after months of fallout, layoffs, and a collapsed publishing relationship.

What makes the interview more contentious is that Gerhard did not stop at admitting the launch was catastrophic. He also repeated Build A Rocket Boy’s long running claim that some of the negativity around MindsEye was “orchestrated,” arguing that the studio was hit by outside interference and that this prevented the game from receiving a fair chance in the market. He said the company has gathered what he described as “very strong evidence,” that authorities in both the United Kingdom and United States are involved, and that the matter is now in their hands. As of now, no public evidence has been released that independently verifies those sabotage claims.

At the same time, Gerhard did concede that the game’s technical state at launch was the studio’s own responsibility. In the same interview, he acknowledged that the bugs and crashes were “on us,” which is the part of the conversation that is far easier to verify publicly. MindsEye launched on June 10, 2025 to a poor critical and player response, and its current Metacritic page still reflects that damage, showing a generally unfavorable critic score and user score. Metacritic later ranked MindsEye as its worst reviewed game of 2025.

That context is why the sabotage narrative continues to struggle for credibility with many observers. The simpler explanation has always been that MindsEye launched in rough condition, with serious performance problems, crashes, and broader design criticisms that were visible to players and reviewers from day one. Even GamesBeat’s own interview frames the game as one that was “full of bugs at launch,” while also noting that players sought refunds and that the title fell off the charts. Gerhard may believe there was also a coordinated effort to amplify the negativity, but that claim sits on top of a clearly documented product failure, not in place of one.

The wider business damage has been severe. GamesBeat reports that Build A Rocket Boy once peaked at more than 800 employees, is now at about 240, and is in the process of shrinking to around 100. That is a staggering contraction for a studio that, not long ago, was being positioned as one of the industry’s most ambitious new independents. The pressure has only intensified since IO Interactive and IOI Partners officially ended their publishing involvement with MindsEye, with the planned Hitman crossover mission now canceled as part of that separation.

The studio is also still dealing with labor fallout. GamesBeat says the IWGB Game Workers Union is pursuing legal action tied to allegations of unfair dismissal, excessive overtime, and mishandled layoffs, backed by open letters signed by nearly 100 current and former employees. Separate reporting from late 2025 likewise described staff accusations of mismanagement, crunch, and a deeply flawed redundancy process. That does not prove Gerhard’s sabotage claims false, but it does reinforce that many of Build A Rocket Boy’s biggest problems appear internal, structural, and leadership related rather than mysterious or external.

Gerhard insists the story is now improving. In the interview, he said MindsEye is being “very well reviewed” more recently and claimed sales are increasing organically, even “doubling almost weekly.” He did not provide public sales figures, and GamesBeat notes that he described overall sales as “very modest.” That makes the recovery narrative difficult to quantify from outside the company, even if ongoing updates have improved parts of the game since launch.

The result is a studio still trapped between two competing narratives. One is the straightforward version, where MindsEye launched in awful condition, damaged player trust, triggered layoffs, and exposed major operational weaknesses. The other is the version Gerhard continues to push, where those failures were worsened by deliberate outside interference that the company says it has evidence to prove. Until something concrete emerges from the alleged investigation, most of the industry is likely to keep focusing on the first explanation, because it is the one the public can already see.

Do you think MindsEye deserves a genuine second chance after its patches, or has Build A Rocket Boy already done too much damage to regain trust?