Oh honey, 💅 where do I even BEGIN with this dumpster fire 🔥 of a game studio? Apparently, nearly 100 (!!!) current and former devs at Build a Rocket Boy (more like Build a Rocket *BUST*, am I right?) have penned a *scathing* open letter. And trust me, when disgruntled devs start writing letters, you KNOW it’s bad. Like, reality TV levels of bad. 🍿
So, the TL;DR is that these poor souls at Build a Rocket Boy (BARB—how fitting) are calling out the studio heads, Leslie Benzies (ex-GTA dude who clearly peaked too soon 👴) and Mark Gerhard (whoever TF that is), for “longstanding disrespect and mistreatment.” 🙄 I mean, shocker, right? In this industry? Groundbreaking.
They’re whining about a few things, but let’s break it down for the intellectually challenged:
1. Lack of transparency and communication: Translation: the bosses were too busy counting their money 💰 (that they clearly didn’t deserve) to actually, you know, TALK to their employees.
2. Unbearable levels of overtime: Aka, “We want you to work yourself to the bone for us, but we won’t pay you extra.” 💀 Sounds about right.
3. Disastrous handling of redundancies: Oh, you mean firing 250-300 people AFTER the game flopped? 📉 How… unexpected! Seriously, who could have seen THAT coming? 🤔
And let’s not forget about Mindseye. Oh, Mindseye. What a trainwreck. 🚂💩 This game was supposed to be the next big thing, but it launched so badly that even the main actor (bless his heart 🙏) thinks his career is over. PS even had to issue REFUNDS. Can you imagine the shame? 🙈
But wait, it gets better! After the game’s spectacular failure, Leslie Benzies had the AUDACITY to blame “internal and external saboteurs” for the game’s downfall. 🤣 Girl, please. Maybe, just MAYBE, the game sucked because it was, well, BAD? Ever thought of that, genius? 💡
And then, he announced a MASSIVE layoff, because that’s always the best way to solve problems. Fire everyone! Genius strategy! 🧠
The letter goes on to say that the redundancy process was handled so badly that people were getting the wrong notices, being scored by the wrong people, and generally being treated like garbage. 🗑️ I mean, at this point, I’m not even surprised.
Apparently, the job was filled with “burnout, job insecurity, health issues, and the failure of a game that many of use have put our lives into.” 💔 Boo-hoo. Maybe they should have unionized sooner? Just a thought. 💭
But hey, at least the audio engineer, Isaac Hudd, got to release a statement! 🎉 He said, “Many fantastic, hard-working developers have felt used and discarded.” Well, duh! That’s, like, the motto of the gaming industry. 😒
So, what’s next? Lawsuits, of course! ⚖️ And these demands from the open letter:
1. A public apology and compensation: Good luck with that! 🤣
2. The option to work the notice period or get paid: Shocking demand!
3. Improve conditions and acknowledge the union: Now they want RIGHTS?
4. Use external partners for future layoffs: As if that would make it any less painful.
Honestly, this whole situation is just a big ol’ mess. 🤷♀️ But hey, at least it’s entertaining! Keep the drama coming, BARB! We’re all watching. 👀🍿
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
