Amidst the current trend of industry-wide cost-cutting measures, Build A Rocket Boy, the studio led by Leslie Benzies, former Grand Theft Auto producer, with offices in Edinburgh, Budapest, and a recent expansion into Montpellier, has announced plans to undergo a round of staff layoffs.
Earlier, the enigmatic company had unveiled two major projects – the Fortnite-like metaverse/user-generated shooter Everywhere and the photo-realistic action shooter Mindseye. Both projects have been in production since the company’s establishment in 2018. Benzies, known for his influential work with Rockstar on the Grand Theft Auto series, has played a key role in shaping these new projects.
Both Everywhere and Mindseye are ambitious undertakings, with Everywhere aiming to establish “an open world that can be built on in every direction”, while Mindseye is envisioned as an upcoming AAA action-adventure title set in a world of futuristic corporations, conspiracy theories, and sinister new technologies, planned to be an integral part of Everywhere.
However, despite significant progress, neither project has set a release date. They have only been teased through short trailers. Last month, these projects attracted a sizable investment of $110 million from RedBird Capital Partners, NetEase Games, Galaxy Interactive, Endeavor, Alignment Growth, Woodline Partners LP, and GTAM Partners. RedBird Capital partner Julia Wittlin joined the board of directors at Build A Rocket Boy following the investment.
Despite this substantial investment, the company has stated that it needs to make changes to the way it operates to become a more agile studio and to meet the demands of its projects. As a result, they are proposing the removal of several roles globally, to refocus and achieve their objectives. This decision has been characterized as “extremely difficult and challenging” for those affected by it.
In the past, Benzies has expressed his vision for the studio, explaining that he started Build A Rocket Boy to continue sharing the stories he loves with players and to provide them with a platform for creating and sharing. He believes in a future where game creation is put in the hands of the players and aims to empower them with the tools to shape this vision alongside the studio.
