MindsEye staff have taken management to court over alleged surveillance software use
The IWGB Game Workers Union says Build a Rocket Boy installed Teramind on employee hardware and removed it only after a March grievance signed by 40 workers.
A group of MindsEye staff at Build a Rocket Boy has started legal action against management over alleged privacy violations tied to workplace monitoring software.
According to Game Developer, members of the IWGB Game Workers Union say the studio installed Teramind on employee hardware without being clear about what data it collected or how that information was stored.
The union says the software was taken off employee devices in March after 40 staff members signed a collective grievance. It also says management has not explained why the program was installed in the first place or what data was gathered.
Teramind’s own website describes the tool as AI-powered software that “enables proactive protection against insider threats, data breaches, productivity inefficiencies, and compliance challenges”.
The dispute comes after a rough stretch for Build a Rocket Boy. Earlier this month, the studio said more layoffs were coming and linked part of MindsEye’s poor launch to what Mark Gerhard has called “organised espionage and corporate sabotage”.
In its statement on the legal action, the IWGB Workers Union said BARB’s use of the software violated data protection laws and worker dignity, and went beyond normal monitoring by recording people at home and without consent. The union also said an internal meeting leaked to the press showed Gerhard and Leslie Benzies confirming that Teramind had been installed without workers’ knowledge, with keylog, screen recording, and microphone-capture features.
That is the second time the union has taken legal action against the studio. In October 2025, it said it was suing over alleged mishandling of layoffs and unfair dismissal claims, and estimated that a UK majority of 250 to 300 workers across the company had been let go.
Gerhard also told GamesBeat earlier this month that he believed an organized campaign had targeted the company and that authorities in the UK and US were now looking into it. He said MindsEye’s upcoming Blacklist mission would supposedly present evidence tied to those claims.
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