Leslie Benzis temporarily left his company Build a Rocket Boy, and MindsEye is aiming to replicate the success of Cyberpunk 2077

Brief overview of the situation

- Leslie Benzis, former head of Rockstar North and producer of GTA, has temporarily left his own studio Build a Rocket Boy (BARB).

- The departure is due to “the need to recover after more than a year of round‑the‑clock work.”

Public statement

In a letter to staff, Mark Gerhard, the new CEO of BARB, announced Benzis’s “well‑deserved temporary withdrawal” and promised to lead the studio forward with the executive team. He expressed gratitude toward the former leader.

Company issues

- At the time of his exit tension arose: Gerhard said that a large American company spent more than €1 million on discrediting BARB and the game MindsEye.

- According to him, the British service Ritual Network allegedly paid bloggers, three journalists, and BARB employees for causing reputational damage. Ritual Network categorically denies these accusations.

Future plans

BARB released a significant patch for MindsEye, which they present as the start of a “reset” of the project. The hybrid release with an emphasis on improvements resembles the strategy used for Cyberpunk 2077 and No Man’s Sky.

Opinions of former employees

Despite official statements, former workers express skepticism:

“I don’t think BARB will survive this crisis. The end of the company is near, and the reporters are not saboteurs but Mark and Leslie themselves.”