Build A Rocket Boy announced layoffs following the disastrous launch of MindsEye. Some 93 current employees and those impacted by that layoff have teamed up with the Game Workers Branch of the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) to sue the company over what they termed “disastrous handling of redundancies”.
“Employees and ex-employees at Build A Rocket Boy (BARB), together with the Game Workers Branch of the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB), are writing to address the longstanding disrespect and mistreatment of your staff,” read an open letter from the aggrieved group and union.
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“These layoffs happened because you repeatedly refused to listen to your workforce’s years of experience, resulting in one of the worst video game launches this decade.”
The long list of allegations leveled against Build A Rocket Boy
The union estimates that 250 to 300 UK workers have lost their livelihoods due to the company’s layoffs. Build a Rocket Boy was accused of lacking transparency and communication. The studio was indicted of making “radical changes” to how employees worked, “with little or no input from those affected”.
Build A Rocket Boy was also accused of subjecting its employees to an unbearable level of overtime. “In the 4 months leading up to the launch of MindsEye, you implemented a mandatory 8 hours of overtime per week for every single employee,” Game Workers union said.
“Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) was given at a rate of 7 hours back for every 8 hours worked, but many have still not been able to take this time off due to your continued requests for extra ‘high-priority’ work, even after launch.”
Arguably, the most serious of the infractions leveled against Build A Rocket Boy was the handling of redundancies. The studio was accused of handing employees notices with the wrong periods or putting them in the wrong teams, which led to their performances being scored by the wrong people. It was claimed this led to the “wrongful dismissal of dozens of staff members”.
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The union is criticizing Build A Rocket Boy’s CEO Mark Gerhard and the studio head Leslie Benzies, saying they often call their employees family. However, their actions are far from the treatment anyone could met out to their own families. The union is demanding the following:
- A public apology for this mistreatment of employees and proper compensation for laid-off employees
- The option for remaining employees on redundancy notice to either work their notice period or take Payment in Lieu of Notice (PILON)
- A concerted, meaningful, and documented effort to improve conditions and processes within the company, including the acknowledgement of the IWGB as a trade union
- A commitment to use official external partners to action any future redundancies and prevent unfair treatment
Build A Rocket Boy has yet to respond to the union’s public letter. But, do you think CEOs are getting in the way of creativity in most game development? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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