‘A kick in the teeth:’ Game workers protest alleged misconduct at MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy

Build A Rocket Boy (BARB), the Edinburgh-based developer of MindsEye, faced significant backlash from unionized workers over the weekend as the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) staged a protest outside the studio’s headquarters on July 11th.

The protest highlighted two major grievances. First, the IWGB has initiated legal action against BARB over alleged data privacy violations involving surveillance software installed on work devices, claiming the studio violated data protection laws. Second, and more immediately contentious, staff members protested the studio’s decision to host an all-expenses-paid fan playtest event at significant cost amid recent mass layoffs.

IWGB chair Spring McParlin-Jones characterized the timing as “a kick in the teeth for the fired workers,” noting that fans were being brought in to perform work that would otherwise have gone to laid-off employees. The decision to fund an extravagant fan event while cutting staff struck many as deeply insensitive and wasteful.

Founded by former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies, BARB’s handling of both worker surveillance and layoffs has drawn scrutiny from the broader gaming industry. The protest underscores growing concerns about workplace treatment in the sector, with the union emphasizing that such issues extend far beyond this single studio.

‘A kick in the teeth:’ Game workers protest alleged misconduct at MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy

Sources