The developers behind the critically panned open-world title MindsEye have launched a fresh legal offensive against their employer, Build a Rocket Boy, alleging that the studio secretly installed invasive monitoring software on employee workstations. This latest lawsuit, backed by the IWGB Game Workers Union, claims that management deployed a program known as Teramind to track keystrokes, record screen activity, and capture microphone audio—all without the consent of staff members, many of whom were working from their private homes.
The surveillance came to light after employees noticed significant performance drops on their machines, eventually uncovering the hidden background processes. During a leaked internal meeting, studio leaders Leslie Benzies and Mark Gerhard reportedly confirmed the software’s presence. While the tool was eventually removed in March following a formal protest by 40 employees, the union maintains that the studio has failed to account for the data already harvested. Chris Wilson, a lead cinematic animator at the studio, described the environment as a “toxic culture of secrecy” that has severely damaged the team’s morale and focus.
This legal battle adds another layer of complexity to the studio’s already troubled reputation. Founded by Benzies, a former Rockstar Games veteran, Build a Rocket Boy was once positioned as a serious competitor in the AAA space. However, MindsEye debuted in 2025 to overwhelmingly negative reviews, currently holding a dismal 33 on OpenCritic. Management has consistently shifted the blame for these failures away from internal mismanagement, instead claiming the studio is the victim of “corporate sabotage” and “organized espionage” orchestrated by outside agencies.
The studio is now fighting on multiple fronts, as the union recently filed additional claims regarding the abrupt layoff of 300 workers last summer. These filings allege unlawful blacklisting and a failure to engage in mandatory collective consultations. In a bizarre move to regain public trust, the studio plans to release an in-game mission titled “Blacklist,” which management claims will provide players with evidence of the internal betrayal they believe derailed the project. For now, the future of MindsEye remains uncertain as the court prepares to weigh the studio’s security justifications against the privacy rights of its workforce.
