Game workers protest alleged misconduct at Build A Rocket Boy
Game workers staged a rally outside the Edinburgh office of MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy (BARB) over the weekend in protest over alleged misconduct and mismanagement.
The IWGB Game Workers Union has taken legal action against the studio over allegations of data privacy violations related to the installation of surveillance software on work devices. The UK union claims BARB violated data protection laws by leveraging the software.
It has also taken aim at the company—founded by former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies—over its handling of layoffs.
The studio announced a second round of job cuts earlier this year while claiming the troubled launch of its debut title MindsEye was the result of “corporate sabotage.” BARB previously laid off a significant number of staff in June 2025, two weeks after the launch of MindsEye.
Former BARB employees belonging to the IWGB union were joined by other union members and supporters outside the Edinburgh studio on Saturday, July 11—the same date the company purportedly hosted an expenses-paid fan ‘playtest day’ the union described a misuse of funds.
IWGB said BARB paid for fans’ flights and accommodation in order for them to test an upcoming release of MindsEye. The union said the move shows BARB has effectively replaced fired staff with players.
“The decision to fund the event followed several rounds of redundancies at the studio, during which an estimated 250-300 workers have been laid off since last June,” added the IWGB.
Ben Newbon, a former BARB worker of two years, said studio execs continue to “put their own egos ahead of their workforce—eroding jobs, morale, and the future of the studio.”
“Today’s playtest is little more than a grandstanding gesture from managers who continue to treat both the company and its employees as props to support their own ambitions. Their conduct, both before and since the disastrous launch of MindsEye, makes a mockery of the sweat, skill, and dedication that we poured into making their vision come to life,” added Newbon.
“As workers we gave everything we had to create a studio that had the potential to bring real prestige to Scotland’s games industry. Instead, BARB has been hollowed out by years of poor leadership. The people who built BARB deserve respect, accountability from leadership, and a workplace that values the people who make its success possible.”
IWGB Game Workers chair Spring McParlin-Jones said the playest was a “kick in the teeth” to those laid off by the studio.
“This extravagant playtest event is a waste of money, and a kick in the teeth for the fired workers who are seeing fans brought in to do jobs that would otherwise have been theirs,” they added.
“The members teaming up to fight back are an inspiration. They already forced BARB to stop spying on them with invasive surveillance software. Now, refusing to take their foot off the pedal, they are continuing to stand up to these rogue bosses both in the courts and on the streets. Whilst the goingson at BARB sound extreme, game workers know that shocking treatment from bosses is rife across the sector. But we can see a different future, and the union is gaining momentum every day as we move towards it.”
