Gaming · Thursday, 17 September 2026

01 Briefing what happened

MindsEye's studio raised 233 million pounds from investors. Its last staff are now being let go.

Build a Rocket Boy, the Edinburgh studio behind MindsEye, is closing after spending investors' money on a game players rejected. The same day, Heart Machine laid off nearly everyone when a publisher pulled out.

233m pounds

raised from investors by 2024, on the founder's Grand Theft Auto record

about $313 million, before MindsEye had a single player [2]

4.6m of 52.1m

pounds taken in, against pounds spent, in the year to September 2025

IO Interactive, its publisher, walked away from the game six months later [3]

200 to 550

staff, as the studio grew before MindsEye came out

about 300 UK staff were told their jobs were at risk a month after launch [2][3]

most people playing MindsEye at once on Steam in a day

even after a relaunch update and a 50% discount [2]

The lead story — what happened

Staff at Build a Rocket Boy, the Edinburgh studio that made the action game MindsEye, said on 16 September that everyone left is being made redundant. [5][6]
Kotaku says sources confirmed the studio is closing for good. [1] One source told IGN the company might not be formally dissolved even once every worker has gone. [2]
The studio was founded by Leslie Benzies, one of the main designers of Grand Theft Auto, who left Rockstar in 2016 after a fight over unpaid royalties. [2]
With that record behind it, the studio raised more than 233 million pounds, about $313 million, from investors by 2024. [2]
Its recruitment lead Dan Hawkins says it grew from 200 to 550 staff in a short time. [3]
MindsEye came out in June 2025, and players called it broken and buggy. [2][3] Benzies told staff that saboteurs, inside and outside the studio, were to blame. [2]
In the year to 30 September 2025 the studio took in 4.6 million pounds and spent 52.1 million, a loss of 36.2 million. [2]
About 300 UK staff were told in July 2025 that their jobs were at risk, and more rounds of cuts followed. [2][3]
Almost 100 developers signed an open letter about mismanagement. [4] The IWGB, a union for games workers, took legal action over surveillance software put on work computers. [4]
IO Interactive, the Danish studio that makes Hitman, ended its deal to publish MindsEye in March. [3][5]
A relaunch update and a half-price sale on Steam did not bring players back. [2] The most people playing MindsEye at once on Steam over one recent day was 16. [2]

Who is involved

Leslie Benzies

a lead designer of Grand Theft Auto who founded Build a Rocket Boy; he blamed saboteurs for MindsEye's launch [2]
Mark Gerhard

Build a Rocket Boy's chief executive; he said the studio was investigating what he called criminal activity around the launch [2]
IO Interactive

the Danish studio behind Hitman; its publishing arm took on MindsEye and ended the deal in March [2][3]
IWGB Game Workers

a UK union for people who make games; it took legal action over surveillance software on staff devices [4]

How it unfolded

2016 Benzies leaves Rockstar after a dispute over unpaid royalties [2]
By 2024 the studio has raised more than 233 million pounds [2]
June 2025 MindsEye comes out to bad reviews and bug reports [3]
July 2025 about 300 UK staff are told their jobs are at risk [2]
March 2026 IO Interactive's publishing arm ends its MindsEye deal [3]
16 Sep the remaining staff say they are being made redundant [5][6]

Where this points

The next thing to watch is whether Build a Rocket Boy is formally closed or kept alive as a company with no staff, which one source told IGN is possible. [1][2]

What is pushing on the whole day

The bar and the word are our reading of how hard each one is pushing today. The arrow is where it is heading. The evidence is in the stories below.

Studios running out of money High↑

Build a Rocket Boy spent 52.1 million pounds in a year and took in 4.6 million. [2] Heart Machine, the studio behind Hyper Light Drifter, laid off nearly everyone after a publisher stopped paying for its next game. [7] Games websites are shrinking too, and Paste Games closed last month. [15]

Courts and lawmakers stepping in Building↑

The European Union is due to propose limits on online games and social media for children under 15. [11][12] A court in The Hague ruled that websites selling devices that run pirated Switch games in Europe must stop. [13] The publisher Focus Entertainment filed legal complaints against players who threatened its staff. [14]

Players paying up front Building↑

Wardogs, a shooter still being finished, has taken about $70 million on Steam, by one analyst's estimate. [10] Blizzard is charging $29.99 for a new elf race in World of Warcraft: Forever, on top of the monthly subscription. [18]

The rest of the day

16 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

02
Heart Machine lays off nearly everyone

Heart Machine, the studio behind the pixel-art hit Hyper Light Drifter, laid off nearly all its staff on 16 September. [7][9] Founder Alx Preston said a publisher had been paying for its next game, which was never announced, and pulled out that week. [7] With no other income, he said, he is not sure the studio survives. [9] Its recent games did less well: Hyper Light Breaker was stopped before it was finished, and Possessor(s) came out in November 2025. [7][8][9]

Why it matters — A studio paid by one publisher has no income of its own, so one decision by that publisher ended almost every job there. [7] Preston is asking studios that are hiring to take his staff. [7]
03
EU plans limits on children's games

The European Union is due to present a plan today, 17 September, to limit children's use of online games, social media and AI chatbots. [12] A draft seen by Reuters lets people aged 15 and over open accounts freely. [11] Children of 13 and 14 would need a parent to set up a limited account with time limits. [11] Children from 3 to 12 would only get accounts their parents control. [11] Services would have to check a new user's age, including online games judged risky to children. [12]

Why it matters — Epic Games, which makes Fortnite, would lose easy access to younger players, and its boss Tim Sweeney called the plan terrible for the next generation. [11] EU member countries must still agree, and the details may change. [11]
04
Wardogs passes Marathon's sales, by one estimate

Wardogs, a tactical shooter from the small studio Bulkhead, went on sale in early access on 10 September. [10] Early access means players pay for a game that is still being made. [10] Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics, a firm that estimates sales from outside, puts it at 2.2 million copies and about $70 million on Steam. [10] He says that is more than Bungie's Marathon has made on PC and consoles together. [10]

Why it matters — Bulkhead was paid by players while it was still building the game, at $40 a copy. [10] These are outside estimates; Bulkhead's own last count was 2 million copies after five days. [10]
05
Dutch court stops Switch piracy sellers

A court in The Hague, in the Netherlands, ruled that selling the MIG Switch and similar devices in Europe is unlawful, IGN reported on 11 September. [13] These cartridges let a Switch play copies of games downloaded from the internet. [13] The ruling names websites that sold them, and those sites must stop. [13] Nintendo had already cut off online play on consoles caught using the devices. [13]

Why it matters — Nintendo said it acted for every developer who depends on legitimate sales of Switch games. [13] The fight has moved from punishing players to closing the shops that sell to them. [13]
06
Game Pass drops 18 games this month

Game Pass, Microsoft's subscription that gives access to a library of games for a monthly fee, loses eight more games on 30 September. [16] They include Atomfall, Sifu and Little Nightmares 2, taking this month's removals to 18. [16] Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, from 2024, joins the Premium tier on 25 September. [16][17] The survival game Dune: Awakening arrives on 22 September. [17]

Why it matters — A game in a subscription library is borrowed, so a subscriber halfway through Atomfall loses access on 30 September unless they buy it. [16]
07
Focus takes legal action over threats

Focus Entertainment, the publisher of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and A Plague Tale, posted a warning to its players on 15 September. [14] It said staff had received toxic messages for years. [14] A recent rise in threats led it to file formal legal complaints against players who directly threatened team members. [14] It did not say what set off the latest wave. [14]

Why it matters — The people who run a game's online spaces and answer players carry this abuse. [14] A legal complaint goes further than banning an account, and Sony recently added protections for its own support staff after threats. [14]
08
Nintendo Life's publisher opens a PC site

Hookshot Media, which runs Nintendo Life and Push Square, launched a fifth website, Steam Hype, on 16 September. [15] It covers games on Steam, Valve's PC store, and leans towards small and new games. [15] Chief executive Anthony Dickens said being mostly independent means no shareholders demanding growth every year. [15] It opens as Paste Games has closed and Restart has laid off its whole editorial team. [15]

Why it matters — Steam releases a flood of games every day, and sites like this help decide which small ones players hear about. [15] It is paid for by adverts and by readers who pay to remove them. [15]
09
A $29.99 elf for World of Warcraft

Most of World of Warcraft: Forever, Blizzard's new version of its long-running online game, comes with the normal monthly subscription. [18] But the new Skyborne elf race and its starting area need a separate $29.99 Skyborne Hero Pack. [18] The pack also includes a mount and housing decorations. [18] Blizzard's latest full expansion for the game sold for $50. [18]

Why it matters — Players already paying every month are asked to pay again for one part of the game. [18] PC Gamer expects new character classes in Forever to be sold the same way. [18]
10
Bungie denies merging Marathon and Destiny

Julia Nardin, creative director of Bungie's shooter Marathon, said on 16 September that a leak about merging Marathon and Destiny is fake. [24] The claim came from a long anonymous post on 4chan, later copied to the Marathon forum on Reddit. [24] Nardin worked on Destiny 2 expansions before leading Marathon. [24] Bungie's communications lead reposted her denial. [24]

Why it matters — It came the same week an outside estimate put Wardogs' Steam takings above everything Marathon has made on PC and consoles. [10]
11
Game Freak makes a weather game

Game Freak, the Japanese studio behind the main Pokemon games, announced a mobile game called Ame no Chi Hare Onna for Japan in December. [20] It is made with the studio Chronogate and directed by Shigeru Ohmori, who has directed the main Pokemon games for years. [20] Real weather forecasts will change parts of the game from day to day. [20] There is no word on an English version. [20]

Why it matters — It is Game Freak's second game outside Pokemon this year, after the action game Beast of Reincarnation in August. [20] The next main Pokemon games, Winds and Waves, are due next year on Switch 2. [20]
12
Kemuri's maker invites Elon Musk

Ikumi Nakamura left the Japanese studio Tango Gameworks in 2019 and founded her own studio, Unseen, in Tokyo in 2021. [21] On 13 September she publicly invited Elon Musk to a small closed event for its first game, Kemuri, during Tokyo Game Show. [21] She also said she had something to discuss with him about Unseen. [21] Commenters objected to the invitation because of Musk's public conduct. [21]

Why it matters — Nakamura has not said what she wants to discuss. [21] Kotaku argued the invitation could hurt how players receive Kemuri, a demon-hunting action game first shown in 2023. [21]
13
A Tokyo showcase for 30 PC games

The PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct, a 90-minute video showcase filmed at Tokyo Game Show, airs on 20 September. [22] PC Gamer, which makes it, promises more than 30 games and over 10 world premieres. [22] Publishers taking part include Devolver Digital, Firefly Studios and Fireshine Games. [22] It streams on YouTube, Twitch and Steam, and on Bilibili and Kuaishou, two Chinese video sites. [22]

Why it matters — The show is made by PC Gamer, a magazine, so a news outlet is also acting as a stage for games it covers. [22]
14
A mystery fighting game is being tested

Good Gamer Group, a company that runs private game tests for publishers, posted and then deleted a call for testers to try an unreleased big-budget 2D fighting game in Culver City, California. [23] Warner Bros. Games, which owns NetherRealm Studios, is based in the same city. [23] NetherRealm makes Mortal Kombat and the Injustice games, so many expect this is Injustice 3. [23] Nothing has been announced. [23]

Why it matters — Good Gamer Group's tests are covered by agreements to keep quiet, so the deleted post is the only public trace of this game so far. [23]
15
Balatro's maker is back at work

LocalThunk, the solo developer of the hit card game Balatro, posted in its Discord on 15 September about its big 1.1 update. [19] A year earlier he delayed the update into 2026, saying he was burned out. [19] He said it still has no release date and he will not rush it. [19] He called this past year of work the most fulfilling he has done. [19]

Why it matters — He says he now works more like a hobby developer, avoiding deadlines. [19] Players waiting for the update are waiting on one person's pace. [19]
16
Sora arrives in Fortnite

Sora, the hero of Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts series, joins Fortnite this week, Epic announced on 13 September, as part of its Gaming Legends season. [25] More Kingdom Hearts characters are due later in the week. [25] Kotaku noticed Sora's key-shaped weapon appears without the Mickey Mouse charm it carries in Kingdom Hearts. [25]

Why it matters — Kingdom Hearts mixes Disney and Final Fantasy characters, so an outfit like this needs more than one company's approval. [25] Kotaku reads the missing charm as a sign Disney did not sign off on it. [25]
17
A fruit fly's brain plays Doom

Google released a complete map of a male fruit fly's brain, every nerve cell and connection, for anyone to download. [26] Within days an engineer, Alex Wormuth, was training a computer model of that brain to play the 1993 shooter Doom. [26] It played thousands of times and still did badly. [26] Another hobbyist got the model to play the rhythm game Beat Saber. [26]

Why it matters — Games gave hobbyists a quick, public way to test a new science tool within days of its release. [26] Google says the map will be a resource for brain research for years. [26]

02 Lesson why it matters

Investors can pay for a game for years before any player judges it

Build a Rocket Boy grew to 550 staff on 233 million pounds of investors' money, and players only judged its game at launch.

The twist

Build a Rocket Boy convinced investors to put in 233 million pounds before any player had tried MindsEye. When players finally tried it, in June 2025, most of that money was already spent.

How it works

A game costs years of wages before anyone can buy it
Someone has to pay those wages first: investors, a publisher, or players buying early
The studio is built to win over whoever pays first
Investors and publishers judge plans; players judge the finished game
When players are not the first to pay, their verdict comes last, after the money is spent

The same force, elsewhere today

Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

Heart Machine lays off nearly everyone

A publisher paid for its next game, so the publisher's answer was the only one that counted, and it said no before any player saw the game.
Wardogs passes Marathon's sales, by one estimate

Players paid $40 each for a game still being made, so their verdict came first and paid Bulkhead's wages.
Nintendo Life's publisher opens a PC site

Hookshot says no shareholders are demanding growth every year, so it can open a new site while other games sites close.
Balatro's maker is back at work

Players paid for Balatro after it was finished, so no one else sets LocalThunk's deadline and he can delay an update by a year.

Where you've seen this

Restaurant chains

a chain can open dozens of branches on investors' money before it learns whether diners come back

Films

a studio pays for the whole film before the first paying audience sees it

Crowdfunded board games

backers pay before the game exists, so buyers give their verdict first

Tech start-ups

a company can hire hundreds of people on investors' money before it has paying customers

The catch

Paying players first does not guarantee a good game. Early-access buyers can be left with something never finished, and investors also pay for games players go on to love.

And the whole of it

Build a Rocket Boy's staff saw the work every day, its investors saw the plans, and players saw only the game in June 2025. Each group saw its own piece, and none of them saw the others' piece until the money was gone.

03 Truth what's really going on

What is really going on

Build a Rocket Boy raised 233 million pounds because its founder helped make Grand Theft Auto, then released a game players rejected, and now its last staff are going. [2][5] On the same day Heart Machine lost the one publisher paying for its next game, and nearly everyone there lost their job. [7]

Why it works on us — A famous founder makes a big investment feel like proof the game will be good, before anyone has played it. [2]

Who gains

Bulkhead, the studio behind Wardogs — Players paid about $70 million for a game still in early access, by one estimate, so the studio is funded by its buyers. [10]
Nintendo — The Hague court ordered named websites to stop selling devices that play copied Switch games in Europe. [13]
Hookshot Media — Its chief executive says being mostly independent gives it room to open a new site while other games sites, like Paste Games, close. [15]
Microsoft's Game Pass — It adds Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to its Premium tier on 25 September while dropping 18 other games this month. [16][17]
Blizzard — It charges $29.99 for a new race in World of Warcraft: Forever on top of the monthly subscription. [18]

Who pays

Build a Rocket Boy's remaining staff — They were told they are redundant after a year of cuts, protests and a game that failed to sell. [3][5][6]
Heart Machine's staff — Nearly all of them lost their jobs when one publisher stopped paying for the game they were making. [7][9]
Focus Entertainment's staff — Rising threats from players forced the company to file legal complaints to protect them. [14]
Epic Games and children aged 13 and 14 in the EU — The draft plan would put younger players on limited, parent-run accounts, and Epic's boss says that would be terrible. [11]
Game Pass subscribers playing Atomfall or Sifu — Both leave the service on 30 September, so those players lose access unless they buy them. [16]

What nobody knows yet

Open questions from across today’s stories — ours included.

01

Whether Build a Rocket Boy is closing as a company, or only losing all its staff.

Kotaku says sources confirmed it is closing for good, while one source told IGN it may not be dissolved even with no workers. The studio has not commented. [1][2][3]
02

How many people lost their jobs at Build a Rocket Boy this week.

Staff posted on LinkedIn one by one, and GamesIndustry.biz says the extent of the cuts is unclear. [3]
03

Which publisher dropped Heart Machine's game, and why.

Alx Preston did not name the publisher or give its reason. [7]
04

Whether Heart Machine survives.

Preston said he is not sure how or if it does, and has no other income lined up. [9]
05

How many copies Wardogs has really sold.

The 2.2 million and $70 million figures are an outside estimate by Alinea Analytics. Bulkhead's own last figure was 2 million copies, and Valve publishes nothing. [10]
06

What the EU plan will finally say about games.

Reuters saw a draft, details may change, and member countries still have to agree. Which online games count as risky to children is not yet defined. [11][12]
07

What set off the latest threats against Focus Entertainment staff.

Focus did not say, and had not answered Kotaku's questions. [14]
08

What Ikumi Nakamura wants to discuss with Elon Musk about Unseen.

Her post said only that she had something to talk about regarding the studio. [21]
09

Whether the fighting game in the Culver City tests is Injustice 3.

The testing company deleted its post, and neither NetherRealm nor Warner Bros. Games has announced anything. [23]

04 Hope carry this

Wardogs, from the small studio Bulkhead, has sold about 2.2 million copies on Steam since it went on sale on 10 September, by one analyst's estimate.

Also true today

LocalThunk, the solo developer of Balatro, burned out in 2025 and stepped away from the game. He is back at work on its big update and calls this past year the most fulfilling work he has done.
Hookshot Media opened a new games website, Steam Hype, this week, with a junior staff writer on its team.