Build a Rocket Boy Faces Union Lawsuit Over Surveillance
A unionised group at developers Build a Rocket Boy is taking legal action against the studio, which created MindsEye. The group claims that management installed employee monitoring software, Teramind, on workers’ devices without their knowledge, violating data protection laws.
This is the second lawsuit against Build a Rocket Boy, with the first launched on April 12, which detailed “alleged mishandling of a redundancy process” and “unlawful blacklisting” after firing 300 Build a Rocket Boy employees in June, 2025.
According to Gamesindustry.biz, employees of the studio were made aware of the software used after their devices started to slow down. And after a video call with Gamesindustry.biz and Insider Games, co-CEO Mark Gerhard admitted that Teramind was being used. These devices were used in the home of employees to monitor everything from the microphone to keyboard inputs.
Gerhard said the reason behind using the cybersecurity was to “see the IT team periodically try and improve our security measures,” and that he hates “the fact that we even have to monitor it in the first place. And, you know, I think it goes without saying that we can trust 99.9% of this business.”
Gerhard continued, saying that he hopes the cybersecurity can be removed within the next three months, though the call was back in February.
Now, it’s the center of a new lawsuit, with employees saying that they were recorded “in their homes and without their consent.”
According to Chris Wilson, lead cinematic animator at Build a Rocket Boy, the studio’s “toxic culture of secrecy and micromanaging is one of the worst I’ve seen in a 20-year career in the gaming industry. While they have conceded to our headline demand of removing Teramind from our devices, many questions still remain about their actions.”
“It can only be assumed [that] this software was added as a part of their effort to micromanage us, a product of their mistrust of their employees. It created an atmosphere of unease, something that doesn’t lead to great video game production.”
At this point, according to Kotaku, the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain is “escalating the matter” through the UK’s Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service and the Information Commissioner’s Office.
“If successful, the legal claim, which includes allegations of unlawful blacklisting, detriment, and failure to engage in collective consultations, could cost BARB millions.”
