A new legal fight is erupting inside MindsEye developer Build a Rocket Boy—and it’s not about patches, performance, or post-launch content. Staff represented by the IWGB Game Workers Union have initiated legal action after alleging the studio installed Teramind monitoring software on employee devices without their knowledge, then refused to explain what data was collected and what happened to it.
It’s the kind of story that cuts straight to the bone of modern game development: remote work, power imbalances, and the creeping normalization of surveillance—now colliding with a studio already mired in controversy after MindsEye’s disastrous reception and leadership claims of “sabotage.”
What’s Happening: The Teramind Surveillance Allegations
The core allegation is stark: Build a Rocket Boy management installed Teramind—described by workers and the union as “invasive surveillance software”—on employee machines without informing them. Staff reportedly became suspicious after noticing their computers running slower than usual, which led to the discovery of the software.
The IWGB Game Workers Union alleges Teramind is capable of tracking and capturing extremely sensitive information, including:
- Keystrokes
- Screen activity
- Microphone audio
The union’s position is that this goes far beyond any reasonable definition of productivity monitoring or security tooling—especially because employees were working from home, meaning the software could effectively be “recording individuals in their homes and without their consent.”
That “working from home” detail is what makes this case feel uniquely explosive. Monitoring in an office is one thing; monitoring on devices used inside someone’s private space is another. Even if a company argues it’s only watching “work activity,” the boundary between professional and personal becomes dangerously thin the moment microphones and screens are in play.
Leadership reportedly acknowledged the installation
According to the union, an internal meeting—later leaked—featured studio leaders Mark Gerhard and Leslie Benzies allegedly confirming the software had been installed without workers’ permission. In reporting around that meeting, Gerhard is quoted as framing the issue as a matter of rooting out a tiny minority of bad actors, saying: “I think it goes without saying that we can trust 99.9 percent of this business… The problem is it’s the one percent. That is the problem.”
That quote matters because it helps explain the studio’s apparent mindset: surveillance as a response to internal suspicion, not as a transparent policy decision agreed to by staff.
The Union’s Demands: Transparency, Accountability, and What Happened to the Data
The union says the studio removed Teramind from devices in March, but only after more than 40 employees signed a collective grievance demanding it be taken off their machines.
Removal, however, is only the beginning of what workers are asking for. The employees’ central demand now is data transparency—specifically:
- What data was collected
- How it was used
- Why the software was installed in the first place
- What happened to any data already gathered
The union alleges Build a Rocket Boy has refused to answer those questions. And that refusal is a big part of why this has escalated into legal action rather than being resolved internally.
From the union’s perspective, this isn’t just a policy dispute—it’s a potential violation of data protection laws and what it calls the workforce’s “basic dignity.” That phrase—“basic dignity”—is doing a lot of work here, because it frames the issue as more than compliance. It’s about trust, respect, and whether workers are treated like professionals or suspects.
The dispute is being escalated through UK bodies
The IWGB is escalating the matter through the UK’s Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). That’s significant: ACAS is a key early step in UK employment disputes that can lead toward an employment tribunal process, while the ICO is the UK’s data protection regulator.
In other words, this isn’t just “drama.” It’s moving into formal channels that can force disclosures, determine whether laws were broken, and potentially impose serious consequences.
Why This Is Hitting So Hard: MindsEye’s Collapse and the Studio’s “Sabotage” Narrative
Build a Rocket Boy isn’t facing this legal escalation in a vacuum. The studio has been under a harsh spotlight since MindsEye launched in June 2025 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
The game—developed by Build a Rocket Boy and published by IO Interactive Partners A/S—landed with brutal critical reception. It has been cited as holding an OpenCritic score of 33 on PS5, placing it among the lowest-rated releases of 2025.
That failure matters here because it’s intertwined with the studio’s internal story about why things went wrong.
Leadership claims of espionage and sabotage
Co-CEO Mark Gerhard has repeatedly claimed the studio and MindsEye were targeted by “organised espionage and corporate sabotage,” and has pointed to an agency called Ritual Network in that narrative. The studio has also claimed it has “overwhelming evidence” and says it is working with law enforcement in the UK and the US.
In one statement about the broader situation, Gerhard said: “As leaders we take responsibility for the outcomes of our projects and the decisions that follow. At the same time, the launch period was affected by factors beyond normal operational challenges and a competitive environment.”
This is where the Teramind allegations become more than a workplace dispute—they become a window into how leadership responded to crisis. If management believed sabotage was happening internally, it’s not hard to see how they might justify aggressive monitoring. But justification isn’t the same as legality, and it certainly isn’t the same as informed consent.
The “Blacklist” mission and the studio’s unusual approach
Adding to the surreal tone of this entire saga: the studio has said it plans to release an in-game mission called “Blacklist” that will supposedly present proof related to the sabotage claims.
That’s an extraordinary move—turning a real-world corporate conflict into content inside the game itself. Whether that mission ever delivers what leadership claims, the very idea speaks to a studio leadership culture that seems to treat public narrative as a battleground.
The Human Cost: “Toxic Culture,” Micromanagement, and a Studio in Turmoil
Legal filings and regulatory escalation are the hard edges of this story. But the emotional center is the people making the game—and what they say it felt like to work there.
Chris Wilson, a lead cinematic animator at Build a Rocket Boy and a union member, delivered one of the most damning quotes attached to the dispute:
“Build A Rocket Boy’s toxic culture of secrecy and micromanaging is one of the worst I’ve seen in a 20-year career in the gaming industry.”
Wilson also said that even though the studio removed Teramind, “many questions still remain,” and argued the software created “an atmosphere of unease,” adding that it’s not an environment that leads to great game production.
Union chair Spring McParlin (also reported as Spring McParlin-Jones) framed the situation as workers pushing back against management paranoia and bullying, saying employees “stood up for each other… forcing them to be accountable for their actions and get rid of Teramind,” and that the studio must now meet demands for data transparency.
This is the part that should make every developer—and frankly, every player—pay attention. Surveillance doesn’t just risk legal exposure; it corrodes the creative process. Game development is already a pressure cooker. Add suspicion, secrecy, and monitoring, and you don’t get better art—you get fear, burnout, and talent walking out the door.
The Wider Legal Pressure: Layoff-Related Claims and Potential Financial Exposure
The Teramind dispute is not the only legal front Build a Rocket Boy is dealing with.
The IWGB has also filed separate legal claims tied to the studio’s redundancy and layoff processes. Those filings include allegations such as:
- Unlawful blacklisting
- Detriment
- Failure to engage in collective consultations
Those claims relate to layoffs affecting roughly 300 employees in June 2025, and additional layoffs were announced in March amid continued sabotage claims.
The union has said that if successful, the redundancy-related claim could cost the company millions.
Even without speculating on outcomes, the direction is clear: this is a studio facing compounding legal risk at the same time it’s trying to stabilize a game that launched to scathing reviews and ongoing reputational damage.
Where Build a Rocket Boy Stands Right Now
Build a Rocket Boy has acknowledged installing Teramind in the context of internal discussions described in reporting, including characterizing it as “enhanced cybersecurity software” in an all-hands meeting. The studio reportedly asked staff to sign an updated IT policy after employees noticed performance issues on their machines.
Beyond that, the company has been contacted for comment in multiple reports, but any further official, detailed response on the data transparency questions—what was collected, how it was used, and what happened to it—has not been publicly confirmed.
One additional wrinkle: IOI Partners is referenced as the publisher for MindsEye, and there is reporting stating Build a Rocket Boy has “parted ways” with IOI Partners and is now handling publishing duties itself. The precise terms, timing, and scope of that change have not been fully detailed in public reporting here, but it adds to the sense of a company reshuffling while under heavy strain.
Why Players Should Care (Yes, Players)
It’s tempting to treat this as “industry inside baseball.” But it’s not. The way studios treat workers shapes the games we get—directly.
When a studio is consumed by internal suspicion, legal disputes, and allegations of surveillance, the impact isn’t abstract:
- Development slows down.
- Talent leaves.
- Recruitment becomes harder.
- Creative risk-taking dies.
- Post-launch support becomes unstable.
And in MindsEye’s case, the game is still being supported with updates, meaning players are watching a live-service-style recovery attempt unfold while the studio itself is fighting for credibility.
If Build a Rocket Boy wants to rebuild trust—internally and externally—it’s going to take more than content drops. It’s going to take transparency, accountability, and a clear break from the paranoia-first posture that these allegations paint.
What Remains Unknown
- Exactly what data Teramind collected from employee devices, and over what time period.
- Where any collected data is stored, who had access to it, and whether it was shared with third parties.
- Whether any employees were explicitly informed or consented via policy acknowledgments before or during installation (beyond reports of an updated IT policy request after discovery).
- The specific legal mechanism and timeline for the current escalation (including what formal claims have been filed and when hearings or determinations might occur).
- Build a Rocket Boy’s full official response to the union’s transparency demands and the allegations of at-home monitoring.
- Whether the promised “Blacklist” mission will release, and what it will actually contain regarding the studio’s sabotage claims.
