A report by Lauren Bergin of PCGamesN claimed that Everywhere developer Build a Rocket Boy silently laid off multiple employees on Monday, February 19, 2024. Citing unnamed sources, Bergin said the layoff affected staff across different departments. Also, the layoff was said to have affected the studio’s employees in its global offices.
Although Build a Rocket Boy has its headquarters in Edinburgh Scotland, it has operating offices in Budapest, Hungary, the Netherlands, France, and California, USA. After its founding, the studio attracted hundreds of industry veterans with the “shared vision to create new and innovative entertainment experiences”.
ALSO READ: Around 700 Ubisoft Workers In France Walkout Of Roles Following Salary Negotiation Breakdown
GameBaba Universe scanned through the LinkedIn profile of some of the employees in the studio and found that they now wear the infamous #OpenToWork green badge, including that of George Wright, the studio’s executive producer. However, there was no post at the time of writing this report that mentioned the layoff.
Build a Rocket Boy was founded in 2016 by former Rockstar North president, Leslie Benzies. Back in 2022, the studio announced the appointment of three game veterans to its executive team. That included Mick Hockings as its chief development officer, Randall Price as chief publishing officer, and Murray Pannell as senior vice president of global marketing.
ALSO READ: Opinion: Who Really Gains When 4 Xbox Exclusives Go To Rival Platforms?
Those veterans had industry experiences from some of the top studios in the industry. For example, Hockings, the co-founder of Evolution Studios (MotorStorm developer), previously played the role of studio director for SCE Liverpool Studio and PlayStation London Studio. Last month, the studio announced that it had closed over $110 million Series D funding round.
“The new capital will enable Build a Rocket Boy to launch its three flagship products: immersive gaming and entertainment open world platform Everywhere, AAA game series MindsEye, and suite of easy-to-use UGC design tools called Arcadia,” the studio said.
Build a Rocket Boy layoff is the latest in an industry filled with layoffs
According to the report by Bergin, the layoffs at Build a Rocket Boy mostly affected the publishing department, art teams, and QA. The studio’s first project is Everywhere which it described as “a new multi-world game experience that blurs the line between reality and the digital world”.
ALSO READ: Embracer-Owned Lost Boys Interactive Hit By “Massive” Layoff, 170 Reportedly Affected
According to their LinkedIn profile, Build a Rocket Boy had between 201 and 500 employees before the announcement of the layoffs. Further digging, we found that 423 profiles were associated with the company. The actual staff size could be more considering that not every staff member may have a LinkedIn account. On the company’s website, it mentioned that they had nearly 300 employees.
“We are a diverse, multinational group of developers, dedicated to making an all-new multi-world gaming experience,” it said. “We represent 32 countries and have nearly 300 employees positioned around the world. Together we’re working on an experience that will redefine how players connect with one another and with the digital world around them.”
Build a Rocket Boy operates a hybrid workspace. Most of its roles are fully remote. In the case where the role requires an office presence, the company also offers relocation support to their Edinburgh and Budapest offices.
ALSO READ: How To Stop Sweaty Hands When Gaming—9 Tricks
Video game layoffs exploded last year with over 10,000 job losses across the industry. However, in the first two months of this year alone, over 6,000 jobs have been lost. Many more have been confirmed to happen in the coming months.
Several factors have been blamed for the rise in video game layoffs including the increasing adoption of Artificial Intelligence tools and corporate greed. Regardless of what the reason may be, it has become almost a weekly experience and it is hard to tell when it will stop.
