adminBuild A Rocket Boy administrators have been appointed after the MindsEye developer’s latest round of layoffs. The company confirmed that Opus Advisory Group is acting as administrator, while a Companies House filing indicates the studio is insolvent. The underlying filing was not available when the appointment was reported, so some details remain unconfirmed.
Image credit: Build A Rocket Boy/IOI Partners
What the Build A Rocket Boy administrators appointment means
Build A Rocket Boy confirmed Opus Advisory Group’s role following an entry at Companies House. In general, administration is a formal insolvency process intended to protect a company from legal action by creditors while its financial position is assessed. The appointment does not, by itself, explain what will happen to the studio, its projects or its employees.
For readers following the situation, the distinction matters: the appointment confirms that an administrator is involved, but the unavailable filing means further details about the process should not be assumed.
Build A Rocket Boy’s reported financial position
The latest available accounts cited in the report cover the 12 months ending September 30, 2025. For that financial year, the studio recorded an operating loss of £47.5 million and a net loss of £36.2 million. It owed creditors a total of £61.8 million as of September 30, 2025.
Build A Rocket Boy has received investment from NetEase Games, RedBird Capital Partners and Galaxy Interactive. Directors representing those three firms were removed from the board during the summer of 2026.
Layoffs and employment disputes
Founded in 2016 by former Rockstar developer Leslie Benzies, Build A Rocket Boy released its first project, MindsEye, on June 4, 2025. The game received negative reviews and a poor reception from players. Within the same month, around 300 employees were told they were at risk of redundancy.
The IWGB Game Workers union announced legal action against the studio in October 2025, alleging that it had mishandled the redundancy process. In early 2026, staff also noticed Teramind monitoring software on work computers without prior notice from management. The union later brought a separate legal action alleging data privacy violations related to the software.
Studio allegations and MindsEye updates
Co-CEO Leslie Benzies viewed the monitoring as a response to what he believed was an attempt to sabotage the company and MindsEye. Co-CEO Mark Gerhard later alleged, without providing evidence, that “a very big American company” had spent more than €1 million in 2025 on “committing criminal activity” against Build A Rocket Boy. In March 2026, the company again alleged that it was facing “organised espionage and corporate sabotage” as it announced another round of redundancies. A further wave of layoffs followed in September 2026.
In April 2026, the studio released the Blacklisted update for MindsEye. Gerhard described it as “a big step forward for MindsEye, and our studio.” However, some employees interviewed after the game’s launch doubted that the company could recover. One former staff member said they believed the crisis would end the studio, attributing the problem to its leadership rather than saboteurs.
What to watch next
The Build A Rocket Boy administrators appointment is a significant development, but the available information does not establish the studio’s eventual outcome. The administrator’s next steps, any further filings and updates about the company’s workforce and projects will provide a clearer picture. Readers should distinguish confirmed financial figures and appointments from allegations that remain unproven.
