"Heart's Eye", released this summer, performed poorly after its launch and was rated as "the lowest-rated game of 2025" by players. More than 250 developers were laid off after the game failed.

Recently, current and former developers of Build A Rocket Boy (BARB) studio issued an open letter.Accused the company's senior management of ignoring the team's opinions and forcing overtime work during the development process of "The Eye of the Heart", which ultimately led to the failure of the project but refused to take responsibility.The arrogance of executives who blamed so-called "saboteurs" and suggested that a handful of employees or netizens could destroy the entire project forced them to speak out in protest.

Now BARB Studio has responded to the outside world’s doubts about the company’s layoffs, overtime squeeze and mismanagement, saying that it is “listening to employees’ voices and learning and growing from them.”

An official spokesperson said: "We never make layoff decisions lightly and we are sad to have to part ways with team members. We have fulfilled all our obligations and have been transparent in the process."Officials have also denied any illegal conduct in the layoffs.

Currently, BARB is facing legal action initiated by the British independent trade union IWGB, which accuses its redundancy process of irregularities.The publisher IO Interactive also confirmed that it will stop further cooperation with BARB.