Build a Rocket Boy, the Scotland-based studio led by former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies, has laid off a number of staff, despite raising US $110 million in a recent funding round. The layoffs were first reported by Game Developer, which noted several former employees had posted of their job losses on LinkedIn.
When contacted for comment, a Build a Rocket Boy spokesperson confirmed a studio overhaul was underway, with several developers made redundant in the process.
“While we have made great progress developing our products, we are now in a position where we need to make changes to the way we work across our business in order to become a more agile studio and to meet the requirements that our projects demand,” they told Game Developer.
“To achieve that and refocus, we have taken the extremely difficult decision to propose the removal of a number of roles globally. This process is ongoing and we are working with those impacted at this difficult and challenging time.”
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Build a Rocket Boy has not confirmed the number of employees impacted.
Since establishment in 2016, Build a Rocket Boy has expanded considerably, with its website boasting 300 employees across 32 countries. It’s currently working on a major metaverse-like project called Everywhere which encourages player-driven content creation – and as mentioned, it recently nabbed US $110 million to realise its vision for this game, and to develop other projects.
“We are excited to partner with RedBird and our other investors to help us launch Everywhere, MindsEye, and what we believe will be game-changing UGC design tools in Arcadia,” Benzies said of Build a Rocket Boy’s new funding partnership at the time.
“I started Build A Rocket Boy so that I could continue to share the stories I love with players and give them a place to create and share. We believe in a future where game creation is put in the hands of the players, and we will empower them with the tools to help shape this vision with us.”
Despite this significant funding injection, Build a Rocket Boy is still eliminating a number of roles globally, in the effort to become more “agile.”
