Leslie Benzies steps aside from MindsEye after being implicated in the Epstein case

The study confirms its provisional departure while Build a Rocket Boy faces a critical stage.

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The team behind MindsEye is going through a particularly delicate moment. Leslie Benzies, the former director of Grand Theft Auto and co-founder of Build a Rocket Boy, has decided to step aside temporarily from the studio, a decision that comes amidst a media storm and after several internal problems.

The information was published by GamesIndustry.biz and confirmed by the studio itself through its executive co-director, Mark Gerhard, in an internal email to the team.

Leslie Benzies takes a break and Mark Gerhard takes full control

According to the internal statement, Leslie Benzies is taking a “temporary break” after more than a year of continuous work. However, the message has raised eyebrows because Mark Gerhard signed as the sole CEO, and not as co-CEO, which has generated doubts about whether Benzies’ departure could end up being permanent.

Gerhard assured that he will personally lead the company from now on and publicly thanked Benzies for his work, although he avoided clarifying the exact duration of this break. The context does not help to dispel doubts: the launch of MindsEye was met with strong criticism, followed by layoffs and public cross-accusations within the studio itself.

• The situation worsened at the beginning of February, when Benzies was mentioned in documents related to the Epstein case. Later, the producer categorically denied any sexual assault, stating that the mentioned relationship was consensual. However, the coincidence in time between these reports and his departure from the studio has fueled the controversy.

Additionally, some employees and former employees quoted by GamesIndustry.biz describe a severely deteriorated internal climate, questioning the studio’s future viability and rejecting the idea that there is an external campaign to sabotage the MindsEye brand, as Gerhard had suggested a few days ago.

For now, Build a Rocket Boy continues its activity without Leslie Benzies at the helm, while the future of the studio and MindsEye remains shrouded in uncertainty.