In July this year, workers at Build a Rocket Boy, a video game studio in Edinburgh, were called to an all-staff meeting.
Their first ever game, a sci-fi adventure called MindsEye, had been released three weeks earlier - and it had been a total disaster.
Critics and players called it broken, buggy, and the worst game of 2025.
Addressing staff via video link, the company’s boss, Leslie Benzies, assured them there was a plan to get things back on track and said the negativity they'd seen was uncalled for.
Then he pivoted, alleging internal and external forces had been working to scupper the MindsEye launch.
He told the assembled workers - who'd been informed they faced redundancy just a week earlier - there would be an effort to root out saboteurs within the company.
I find it disgusting that anyone could sit amongst us, behave like this and continue to work here, he said, according to a transcript of the meeting verified by BBC Newsbeat.
Staff who worked at the studio say they were stunned - and not only by the strength of the language. They simply didn't believe him.
As far as they were concerned, there was no conspiracy - and the reasons for MindsEye's failure were clear.
Mr Benzies is well-known for his work at Rockstar Games where he was a senior figure in the Grand Theft Auto series, regarded by many as a key architect of its success.
He left in 2016, three years after the record-breaking launch of GTA 5, sparking a legal row over unpaid royalties that was settled out of court.
In the same year, he set up the company that would become Build a Rocket Boy (Barb). By the end of 2024, it had grown to 448 employees.
Former staff say salaries were competitive, the company allowed remote working, and their response to the Covid-19 pandemic was good.
With Mr Benzies at the helm, Barb attracted significant interest and had managed to attract more than £233m of investment by 2024.
It had also spent large amounts without releasing any products. Between 2020 and 2024, the company posted losses totalling £202.6m.
Barb's first project was Everywhere, described by one former employee as a multiplayer RPG in an open-ended city. However, the studio's main focus shifted to MindsEye, originally intended as an experience within Everywhere.
Many employees described the management’s approach to development as lacking coherent direction.
An open letter signed by 93 current and former Barb employees alleges studio management made radical changes without properly consulting workers.
The letter also stated that leadership repeatedly refused to listen to its experienced workforce.
Developers claim that the decision to launch MindsEye in June 2025 prompted a period of crunch, leading to significant overtime expectations among staff.
Upon its release, MindsEye was met with harsh criticism for various performance issues, contributing to substantial layoffs within the company.
Barb stated they were saddened by the redundancies and had initially anticipated a successful launch for MindsEye.
As the remaining staff reflect on the situation, many express doubts about the future of MindsEye and the company.
