Build a Rocket Boy, the former Grand Theft Auto producer Leslie Benzies' new studio behind the Everywhere platform and the game MindsEye, has quickly gone from "interesting upstart" to total failure. In the wake of the game's disastrous launch, which was widely panned by almost everyone, just over 100 people have now been laid off, according to IGN. This corresponds to a third of the British team.
So what actually happened? The game was notoriously riddled with bugs, crashes, and optimisation issues - so bad that Sony even offered refunds, something they rarely do. Interest from players has also been stringent, and among those who bought and played it, complaints have been pouring in.
Build a Rocket Boy says it is trying to salvage the situation and claims to be dismayed by how poorly it has been received. It has already released hotfixes for memory leaks, optimisation, and bugs, and has unveiled a roadmap with more patches planned for the month.
It may sound promising, but the situation is still critical. The colossal launch fiasco combined with mass layoffs makes it uncertain whether the studio will even survive, or whether the "Everywhere" platform that the game was supposed to attract developers to will become anything more than a hope for the future.
Do you think Build a Rocket Boy will survive the situation?