MindsEye Studio Directors Leave Team Just One Week Ahead of Game's Launch

Despite being spearheaded by perhaps one of the most decorated game developers of all time, Leslie Benzies' studio Build A Rocket Boy and its upcoming projects sure seem to be facing some behind-the-scenes turmoil, judging by the recent controversies surrounding them.

First came a rumor – now debunked – that Benzies' community platform EVERYWHERE was being shut down, then, co-CEO Mark Gerhard suggested that the negative reactions to MindsEye were artificially fueled by outside funding, and now, two high-level executives have exited the studio almost simultaneously – just one week before the launch of BARB's debut title.

First spotted by Eurogamer, Build A Rocket Boy's Chief Legal Officer Riley Graebner and Chief Financial Officer Paul Bland – who, weirdly enough, also chose to hide his last name and remove his profile pic on LinkedIn – both left the studio in June for no apparent reason.

While Graebner was somewhat more transparent about the ordeal, posting a dedicated message announcing his departure, highlighting the legal team's accomplishments, and thanking his now-former colleagues, Bland opted for a quieter approach, simply updating his employment status on LinkedIn to reflect the exit.

Regardless, neither director has provided any explanation as to why they left the studio – and whether they left of their own volition – mere days before the release of MindsEye, fueling speculation that the execs expect the game to fail and decided to preemptively abandon ship before it gets consumed by waves of criticism. One way or another, since both Graebner and Bland oversaw teams not directly involved in game development, their departures are unlikely to disrupt the production pipelines of MindsEye or EVERYWHERE.

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