Unionized former developers from Build A Rocket Boy (BARB) have protested outside the game studio's MindsEye offices, accusing the company of hosting an expenses-paid fan playtest event shortly after recent layoffs. The IWGB union, representing the former workers, criticized the move as "a kick in the teeth for the fired workers who are seeing fans brought in to do jobs that would otherwise have been theirs."
The protest, which took place on Saturday, July 11th, highlighted concerns that BARB is spending company funds on such events while continuing to reduce its workforce. According to IWGB chair Spring McParlin-Jones, attendees of the playtest had their travel expenses covered by BARB.
Former BARB employee Isaac Hudd spoke at the protest, criticizing the company's co-CEOs, Mark Gerhard and Leslie Benzies. Hudd recounted the company's decision to allow its French branch to go bankrupt and stated that another significant portion of the company has since been laid off. He noted that instead of hiring community managers, the company had reportedly hired a fan from their Discord server. Hudd further elaborated that flying in more fans for playtesting, especially an online game that could be accessed remotely, was particularly egregious given the company's history of alleged dishonesty and the stress experienced by its former employees.
Build a Rocket Boy has faced significant upheaval since last June. Alongside layoffs, executive Mark Gerhard has claimed the game was sabotaged, even incorporating elements of this alleged sabotage into the game's mission, "Blacklisted." The IWGB has also previously accused BARB management of illegal activity, including the installation of surveillance software on employees' PCs to identify alleged "saboteurs."