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Build A Rocket Boy, the development studio behind MindsEye, is in hot water with staff after hosting a playtest for fans.
Over the weekend, current and former staff members of the developer protested outside its Edinburgh headquarters. According to the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), the company organised an "extravagant playtest event" at great expense for fans to test new features for MindsEye.
This comes after the studio laid off hundreds of workers in the wake of the game's dismal launch.
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BARB is accused by the union of "misusing funds after so many mass layoffs for the 'playtest day', with fans being flown in and given accommodation in order to do the work that now-fired staff would otherwise be doing."
In a press release, former employee Ben Newbon speaks more on the matter.
"Today's playtest is little more than a grandstanding gesture from managers who continue to treat both the company and its employees as props to support their own ambitions. Their conduct, both before and since the disastrous launch of MindsEye, makes a mockery of the sweat, skill, and dedication that we poured into making their vision come to life."
The game received a new mission, Blacklisted, which was meant to be some sort of exposé of the game's alleged saboteurs. However, in a speech outside BARB offices, former staffer Isaac Hudd called it a "leather-clad, sexist stereotype".
BARB has also been accused of mistreatment of its staff as well as installing invasive surveillance software on office computers, the latter of which led to legal action.
"This extravagant playtest event is a waste of money, and a kick in the teeth for the fired workers who are seeing fans brought in to do jobs that would otherwise have been theirs," said IWGB Game Workers Branch chair Spring McParlin-Jones in the press release. "The members teaming up to fight back are an inspiration. They already forced BARB to stop spying on them with invasive surveillance software. Now, refusing to take their foot off the pedal, they are continuing to stand up to these rogue bosses both in the courts and on the streets."
Crikey. It really does sound like things have been rough at the studio in the aftermath of the game's launch.