BARB's MindsEye project continues to sag as another round of layoffs hits Build a Rocket Boy, with several former staff publicly confirming redundancies.

Dan Hawkins, BARB’s principal talent acquisition partner, announced his departure on LinkedIn after five years, offering to help wrap up HR duties.

There is limited public comment from BARB on whether the studio will dissolve, though one source says a full shutdown is not yet certain if remaining staff leave.

Public scrutiny over BARB’s practices—overwork concerns and alleged monitoring software—has contributed to reputational and operational headwinds.

Insider Gaming reached out to BARB for comment and invited reader engagement on the developing situation.

Co-CEO Mark Gerhard has previously tied MindsEye’s troubles to alleged criminal activity like espionage and corporate sabotage, a claim not independently verified in court.

Gerhard has publicly alleged organized espionage and sabotage related to MindsEye’s troubled launch, but BARB has not provided public corroboration.

Since MindsEye’s 2025 release, the game has suffered a poor reception, with sabotage allegations contested by BARB and its publisher IO Interactive.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick described the broader difficulty of delivering major hits as the industry matures, setting context for BARB’s challenges.

The IWGB Games Worker Union issued a statement of solidarity with affected staff and pledged to pursue justice and challenge management practices at BARB.

Leslie Benzies remains a central figure; BARB’s funding reached hundreds of millions, with IO Interactive holding publication rights for Hitman.

Industry context contrasts MindsEye’s reception with GTA VI hype, underscoring MindsEye’s failure to deliver a GTA-like experience fans anticipated.