TheRetroArcade
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Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
"I will be seeing BARB through till the very end"
Build a Rocket Boy (BARB), makers of panned futuristic action game/massive minigame platform MindsEye, appear to be making more staff redundant or able to seek other work. As part of a LinkedIn post indicating he's seeking opportunities elsewhere, a principal talent acquisition partner at the studio has written that he "will be seeing BARB through till the very end, helping wrap things up here in the HR department", which doesn't exactly paint a rosy picture of the company's future.
"With a very heavy heart I raise my green banner, along with the rest of my colleagues at Build a Rocket Boy. I am 'Open to Work' actively looking for a new adventure," BARB principal talent acquisition partner Dan Hawkins wrote in his LinkedIn post, which was spotted by ResetEra users. "After speaking with hundreds of people from our industry affected in this way over the past few years, I finally experience it myself. Just shy of 5 years here at BARB and one hell of a ride! Being the first hire into our internal recruitment team, taking the studio from 200 to 550 in a short period of time."
Hawkins went on to add that he "will be seeing BARB through till the very end, helping wrap things up here in the HR department", but is "very interested in hearing about any opportunities, both within and outside of the games industry to join growing companies".
Meanwhile, BARB release manager Michaela Emslie indicated in a separate post that she and some other staff are facing redundancy. "After four years at Build a Rocket Boy, I’ve unfortunately been given my redundancy notice along with some of my fellow colleagues," she wrote. "I’m incredibly proud of how much I’ve learned and how far I’ve come during my time there, from an entry position Junior QA into a Release Manager."
An IGN report on the situation cites a source familiar with BARB as having told them that the company might not be dissolved even if all staff are let go.
I've reached out to both Build A Rocket Boy and the IWGB union, who've previously filed legal claims against the studio over the alleged mishandling previous redundancies and the alleged violation of employees' data privacy via the installation of surveillance software on their work devices, for comment.
As of writing, the UK government's Companies House site still lists Build A Rocket Boy LTD as an active business with MindsEye game director Leslie Benzies and CEO Mark Gerhard among its company directors.
Solidarity to any BARB workers who're now looking for new work.
MindsEye
PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
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Build a Rocket Boy (BARB), makers of panned futuristic action game/massive minigame platform MindsEye, appear to be making more staff redundant or able to seek other work. As part of a LinkedIn post indicating he's seeking opportunities elsewhere, a principal talent acquisition partner at the studio has written that he "will be seeing BARB through till the very end, helping wrap things up here in the HR department", which doesn't exactly paint a rosy picture of the company's future.
"With a very heavy heart I raise my green banner, along with the rest of my colleagues at Build a Rocket Boy. I am 'Open to Work' actively looking for a new adventure," BARB principal talent acquisition partner Dan Hawkins wrote in his LinkedIn post, which was spotted by ResetEra users. "After speaking with hundreds of people from our industry affected in this way over the past few years, I finally experience it myself. Just shy of 5 years here at BARB and one hell of a ride! Being the first hire into our internal recruitment team, taking the studio from 200 to 550 in a short period of time."
Hawkins went on to add that he "will be seeing BARB through till the very end, helping wrap things up here in the HR department", but is "very interested in hearing about any opportunities, both within and outside of the games industry to join growing companies".
Meanwhile, BARB release manager Michaela Emslie indicated in a separate post that she and some other staff are facing redundancy. "After four years at Build a Rocket Boy, I’ve unfortunately been given my redundancy notice along with some of my fellow colleagues," she wrote. "I’m incredibly proud of how much I’ve learned and how far I’ve come during my time there, from an entry position Junior QA into a Release Manager."
An IGN report on the situation cites a source familiar with BARB as having told them that the company might not be dissolved even if all staff are let go.
I've reached out to both Build A Rocket Boy and the IWGB union, who've previously filed legal claims against the studio over the alleged mishandling previous redundancies and the alleged violation of employees' data privacy via the installation of surveillance software on their work devices, for comment.
As of writing, the UK government's Companies House site still lists Build A Rocket Boy LTD as an active business with MindsEye game director Leslie Benzies and CEO Mark Gerhard among its company directors.
Solidarity to any BARB workers who're now looking for new work.
MindsEye
PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Rock Paper Shotgun is better when you sign in
Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.Read more: Full article on www.rockpapershotgun.com
What do you think about this?