MindsEye staff members are suing developer Build a Rocket Boy, after company bosses reportedly admitted installing secret surveillance software onto employee devices.
Back in February, GamesIndustry.biz reported that Build a Rocket Boy (BARB) employees discovered the addition of Teramind employee monitoring software on their computers after their machines began running slower than usual.
In a subsequent company meeting, co-CEO Mark Gerhard reportedly acknowledged that the software had been installed, and blamed “the 1% that is the problem” — another reference to his repeated, unproven claims that a handful of staff members were working from within to sabotage the company.
While the Teramind software has now been removed, concerns remain over what sensitive data may have been captured, and whether data protection laws were followed.
Teramind describes itself as the “#1 rated employee monitoring software” that “helps companies track work time, enhance team productivity, and secure sensitive data while respecting privacy for both in-office and remote workers.” It quietly takes screenshots and “irrefutable screen recordings” while logging web and app activity, including employee keystrokes, in order to “recognize top performers” — as well as “implement targeted coaching” for those seen as lagging behind.
Today, the IWGB Game Workers Union has announced legal action, and alleged that BARB’s use of Teramind violated data protection laws and staff’s “basic dignity” by “exceeding the legitimate remit of monitoring workers’ productivity or safeguarding the company’s security by recording individuals in their homes and without their consent.”
“Build A Rocket Boy’s toxic culture of secrecy and micromanaging is one of the worst I’ve seen in a 20 year career in the gaming industry, said MindsEye lead cinematic animator Chris Wilson in a statement. “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 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.”
The action is separate to another legal bid by the IWGB, which alleges that BARB mishandled its mass layoffs last summer that saw the departure of 300 staff following MindsEye’s disappointing release. The IWGB alleges that this process included “unlawful blacklisting, detriment, and failure to engage in collective consultations” and could cost the studio “millions.”
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
