The underside of failure
In this open letter, which is possible thanks to the support of the British trade union organization Game Workers Branch of the Independent Workers of Great Britain, we can read that the management of Build A Rocket Boy is accused of “ systemic mistreatment, mismanagement and mishandling of the dismissal process “.
It is in particular question of crunch periods, and a lack of transparency within the company, with very poor communication within the studio. A crunch that continued even after the launch, with 8 hours of additional work per week mandatory for each employee. Even the layoffs were poorly managed:
“ Employees were given incorrect information, given redundancy notices with incorrect notice periods, and placed on the wrong teams with their performance evaluated by the wrong people. These errors, among others, potentially led to the unfair dismissal of dozens of employees. »
Isaac Hudd, audio engineer at the studio, says:
“ Many talented and dedicated developers felt exploited and sidelined, while public statements of concern did not match the reality of working conditions. A series of poor management decisions led to a disappointing launch and continued difficulties for players and employees alike. »
Ben Newbon, a former studio analyst, attacks management and its impunity more violently:
“ The arrogance of leaders who believe they can act with impunity throughout the development and subsequent layoffs has caused me, and many former and current employees, to take a stand. »
The aim of this letter is to ask management for a public apology, but also for a promise of improvements in working conditions as well as to offer fairer dismissal conditions on the salary side.
“ Our experience within the company has been marked by burnout, job insecurity, health problems and the failure of a game to which many of us have devoted years of our lives. BARB needs to change. CEOs need to step aside and let the qualified people who remain lead the way. »
Studio management has not yet responded to this open letter. It’s hard to believe that after all this, MindsEye still has a chance to get back on its feet (but who believed in it besides Benzies), while the future of Build A Rocket Boy is now even more uncertain than before.