Build a Rocket Boy CEO responds to end of publishing agreement with IOI Partners

Build a Rocket Boy CEO Mark Gerhard has addressed the end of the developer’s publishing agreement with IOI Partners, stating that it “likes being able to control [its] own destiny as an independent studio.”

Speaking to GamesBeat, Gerhard said that Build a Rocket Boy taking on sole publishing responsibilities for MindsEye will enable it to reprice the action-adventure game to make it more accessible to players.

“That will provide phenomenal value to our players – we’re obviously continuing to invest in the game,” said Gerhard. “We want to be close to our players. We want to be listening to the community and evolving their game in an organic way.”

Build a Rocket Boy ended its publishing agreement with IO Interactive’s publishing division last month. As a result, the planned collaboration between Hitman and MindsEye will not proceed.

In February, Insider Gaming reported that this collaboration will instead be re-developed into a new mission that will include evidence of the “corporate sabotage” alleged by the developer during MindsEye’s launch.

While Gerhard didn’t confirm this was the case, he told GamesBeat that MindEye’s multiplayer update will include a new mission that “shares some of the evidence of sabotage with the community.

“We’ve got very strong evidence of this and conducted quite thorough investigations over the months since launch,” said Gerhard.

“We’ve identified parties involved, and it’s now with the authorities both UK and US to deal with. I can confirm that they’re assisting us with this investigation, but it’s also in their hands now. We’ll leave them to do what they do, make their arrests or any announcements in due course. I think we’re not saying anything further at this stage on that. We’ll just let the natural course of justice take its path.

Gerhard continued: “There was a concerted effort [to sabotage the game]. Some people had their hands on the scale and deliberately tried to shape a negative narrative around the product so it didn’t get a fair chance. It didn’t get to find its community. It didn’t get a chance to be iterated on, as would be typical with these things.”

In a statement previously provided to GamesIndustry.biz, a Build a Rocket Boy spokesperson said: “We do have evidence that there has been a coordinated campaign to purposefully and maliciously damage Build a Rocket Boy’s reputation and undermine confidence in MindsEye. We are working with our legal team and taking steps to address this.”

Gerhard also confirmed that layoffs were not over at the developer, and that another round of redundancies began two weeks ago.

Before this round of cuts, layoffs were made at the beginning of March due to the “difficult launch” of MindsEye.

This led to the “brutal and heartbreaking step of reducing the size of the studio once again to ensure the long-term future of the company and the projects [it continues] to build.”