Build A Rocket Boy's latest scandal isn't another delayed feature in MindsEye—it's a union-backed legal smackdown over spyware that allegedly turned employees' home setups into monitored fishbowls.

The IWGB Game Workers Union announced today that workers have initiated proceedings against the studio, claiming management secretly installed Teramind surveillance software on company devices. The tool tracks keystrokes, records screen activity, and captures microphone audio, with the union alleging it recorded individuals in their homes without consent. A collective grievance signed by 40 employees in March forced its removal, but the company has stonewalled on what data was collected, how it was used, or why it was deployed in the first place. This follows a leaked internal meeting where co-CEOs Mark Gerhard and Leslie Benzies admitted the installation happened without workers' knowledge, framed as an "enhanced cybersecurity" measure amid paranoia over supposed sabotage.

The refusal to provide transparency isn't just sloppy HR—it's a direct violation of data protection laws according to the union, which is escalating through the UK's Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service and the Information Commissioner’s Office. This isn't the studio's first brush with IWGB; prior legal action targeted mishandled redundancies that reportedly hit 250-300 workers. Teramind's deployment came after staff already noticed performance hits on dev tools like Maya, turning a hunt for leakers into a blanket surveillance net that extended beyond office walls.

Receipts matter more than rhetoric here. When a studio that burned through layoffs and a rocky launch starts secretly recording home mics and keystrokes, then clams up on the details, the "basic dignity" line from the union lands like a FOIA request with teeth. Build A Rocket Boy's silence speaks volumes—louder than any patch notes ever could.