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Build A Rocket Boy, maker of MindsEye, enters administration with 36 further job losses

Edinburgh games studio Build A Rocket Boy, founded by a former Grand Theft Auto developer, has appointed administrators a year after releasing MindsEye. Opus Restructuring says 49 of 85 staff were retained.

2 outlets · 1L · 0C · 1R First reported Account updated
Image: Daily Mirror
Image: Daily Express

1 / 2

The story, neutrally told

Build A Rocket Boy (BARB), an Edinburgh-based video game company, has entered administration. Opus Restructuring said Allister Manson and Mark Harper were appointed joint administrators on 23 September 2026. Both outlets report that a further 36 jobs have been lost. The administrators say 49 of the company's 85 employees were retained on appointment.

Those made redundant will be supported in claiming their statutory entitlements. The company was set up in 2016 by former Grand Theft Auto developer Leslie Benzies. It worked on the multiplayer game Everywhere before switching to the action-adventure game MindsEye, released in June 2025. The launch went badly, with some players calling the game "the worst game" of the year and "relentlessly dull". Between 250 and 300 staff were reportedly made redundant afterwards.

The directors sought administration to protect the business and assets while options are assessed. The administrators intend to keep trading and to seek the best outcome for creditors. They also said they will engage with stakeholders on ongoing investigations and assess possible causes of action linked to the MindsEye launch. Both outlets said they had contacted BARB for comment. No response from the company is reported.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left1 outlet

Framing
Leads on the company's fall into administration and the 36 further job losses, tying it to the failed MindsEye launch.
Emphasis
Job losses and the earlier 250-300 redundancies, with the administrators' statement quoted in full.
Leaves out or plays down
No comment from the company. Little on the company's ten-year history beyond its 2016 founding.
Charged language
“plunges into administration”
For example
“UK video game company plunges into administration as 36 more jobs lost” — Daily Mirror
“It is said to have already made up to 300 members of staff redundant.” — Daily Mirror

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right1 outlet

Framing
Presents it as the collapse of a "major" UK company after a decade, with jobs lost.
Emphasis
The company's ten-year span and its status, with the same administrator statement and the same launch background.
Leaves out or plays down
No comment from the company. It does not say the 36 cuts match the gap between 85 staff and 49 retained.
Charged language
“falls into administration after 10 years”“Major UK video game company”
For example
“Major UK video game company falls into administration after 10 years — jobs lost” — Daily Express
“More of its employees have been made redundant.” — Daily Express