Trust reigns
Still searching for the people behind MindsEye’s bad reputation, Mark Gerhard, co-CEO with Leslie Benzies, is taking increasingly drastic measures. According to information collected by GamesIndustry.biz, Build a Rocket Boy allegedly went so far as to install monitoring software (Teramind) on studio employees’ PCsand this without informing them in the first place. It was only after noticing slowdowns on their machines that those affected learned of this software, before management asked the teams to sign the new company rules.
To justify the installation of such a means of surveillance, Gerhard indicates that it helps with cybersecurity and that even if management has confidence in the vast majority of teams, 99%, “ It’s the 1% that’s the problem. ».
The co-CEO says he has information indicating that the British influencer agency Ritual Network as well as three journalists were allegedly paid to damage the reputation of Build a Rocket Boy, while a “ very large American company » would have paid nearly a million dollars to undermine the studio. Gerhard is careful not to present evidence for the moment, indicating that he is working with his legal team on this matter. However, Ritual Network says for its part that it has never been aware of this matter, and has not been concerned by any legal proceedings:
“ Ritual Network is a creator support platform and is in no way involved in the matter you mention [en réponse à GamesIndustry.biz]. We are not aware of any legitimate legal action involving Ritual Network and have not received any evidence to support these allegations. Any suggestion linking Ritual Network to these accusations is unfounded. »
At this point, it’s all nothing more than a pipe dream while management refuses to truly acknowledge its own failures, hence the hundreds of layoffs that have taken place over the past few months.
The Leslie Benzie case
While Gerhard tries at all costs to prove that the studio was sabotaged from the inside, Leslie Benzies moves away from the studio. Temporarily, according to Gerhard, who describes this departure as a break “ well deserved » but who concludes his message in a strange way, as if all this were more definitive:
“ He has our gratitude, and with the leadership team and your support, I will guide us into the future. »
Benzies would therefore remain co-CEO and this break would have been planned by Build a Rocket Boy. Something difficult to believe insofar as it comes at the time when the name of Leslie Benzies appeared in the Epstein files, with an accusation of sexual assault on Sarah Ransome. Shortly after the revelation of this document, Benzies denied the facts, while specifying that he had never met Epstein (something he was not accused of anyway):
“ These allegations are false. I had a consensual relationship with this person for three months. I never met Jeffrey Epstein, visited his island, his properties, or traveled on his plane. Any statement to the contrary is misleading. »
It’s unclear when (and if) Benzies will return to helm Build a Rocket Boy alongside Gerhard, while the studio is still trying to release updates to save MindsEye.