In July this year, workers at Build a Rocket Boy, a video game studio in Edinburgh, were called to an all-staff meeting.
Their first-ever game, a sci-fi adventure called MindsEye, had been released three weeks earlier - and it had been a total disaster.
Critics and players called it broken, buggy, and the worst game of 2025.
Addressing staff via video link, the company's boss, Leslie Benzies, assured them there was a plan to get things back on track and said the negativity they'd seen was uncalled for.
Then he pivoted, alleging internal and external forces had been working to scupper the MindsEye launch.
He told the assembled workers - who'd been informed they faced redundancy just a week earlier - there would be an effort to root out saboteurs within the company.
I find it disgusting that anyone could sit amongst us, behave like this and continue to work here, he said, according to a transcript of the meeting verified by BBC Newsbeat.
Staff who worked at the studio say they were stunned - and not only by the strength of the language. They simply didn't believe him.
As far as they were concerned, there was no conspiracy - and the reasons for MindsEye's failure were clear.
Mr Benzies is well-known for his work at Rockstar Games where he was a senior figure on the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) action-adventure series, and regarded by many as a key architect of its success.
Barb's first project was Everywhere, described by one former employee, Jamie (not their real name), as a multiplayer role-playing game (RPG) based in an open-ended, futuristic city.
However, the studio's main focus would eventually shift to MindsEye - a game originally intended to be offered as an experience within Everywhere.
An open letter, recently signed by 93 current and former Barb employees, alleges studio management made radical changes without properly consulting workers. Feedback from staff appears to have been ignored, leading to a culture of distrust.
Developers say the decision to launch MindsEye in June 2025 led to a period of crunch - a mandatory overtime that negatively impacted worker health and morale at the studio.
As the release date approached, many at the studio expected MindsEye to receive a negative reception. The ensuing backlash confirmed their fears, with significant numbers of employees facing redundancy soon after.
Despite the negativity surrounding MindsEye and Barb, there is a shared sense of hope among some that the talented workforce will find opportunities elsewhere, as they strive to stand together for a brighter future.
