MindsEye’s Marketing Is a Complete Mess

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This year’s game releases, ranging from delightful indie games to awe-inspiring blockbusters, have been nothing short of spectacular. If you haven’t yet explored the stunning landscapes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 or uncovered the genius behind The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, perhaps you’ve enjoyed Forza Horizon 5 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PS5 for the very first time.

The variety of these games is so impressive that I nearly overlooked titles like “Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii”, “Dynasty Warriors Origins”, and “Steel Seed”. The upcoming six weeks promise to be even more exciting with “Elden Ring Nightreign”, “Mario Kart World” (and the Switch 2 debut), as well as the long-awaited “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach”. The second half of this year remains uncertain, but with publishers undoubtedly rushing to fill the gap left by the postponement of “Grand Theft Auto 6”, we might witness several potential release date announcements following the June showcases.


 

Despite the buzz surrounding other games, one title appears to have gone unnoticed, which is quite surprising given its imminent release date. The game I’m referring to is MindsEye, an action-adventure creation from Build a Rocket Boy, led by Leslie Benzies, a veteran of Rockstar North.

At least those who prefer high-octane action and fast-paced gameplay seem to be the target audience, as the “reveal gameplay trailer” from February primarily showcased such elements. There was a lot of running, shooting cars, and even driving while causing car explosions, which was quite frequent. To be honest, the level of vehicular destruction seems almost excessive. However, it’s important to note that the developer later explained that the gameplay is more focused on a linear narrative rather than an open-world or sandbox experience.

Despite being about three weeks away from release, so far only the trailer and a couple of gameplay previews have been shown. One clip resembles an action sequence similar to Trevor attacking The Lost MC’s hideout in Grand Theft Auto 5, where protagonist Jacob Diaz shoots down opponents. Later, he chases them through the streets during a dust storm.

The second preview for MindsEye is more extended but less thrilling, featuring scenes of driving through Redrock City at night. Unlike previous previews, it doesn’t provide an overview, walkthrough of a mission, or highlight the unique aspects of the gameplay. Instead, it seems to be using a marketing approach that primarily captures attention due to its minimalistic promotional efforts.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Build a Rocket Boy is promoting something entirely different with MindsEye. You might recall their initial project announcement, Everywhere, which was actually an MMO designed to function primarily as a platform for users to generate and exchange various interactive experiences.

This entity encompasses several districts, each featuring gameplay aspects such as racing and third-person shooting. Its editor, ARCADIA, allows for the creation of various components. This combination has drawn criticism, particularly due to the ongoing debate about Metaverse-like games. The trailer from last year suggests it aims for a content platform experience similar to Fortnite.

In simpler terms, “MindsEye” is an interactive experience created by the studio within their platform “Everywhere.” It’s designed to demonstrate ARCADIA’s capabilities, but it can be customized to create various versions of “MindsEye.” As the Associate Game Director, Adam Whiting, explained to Edge magazine, it’s similar to Minecraft servers, where there are official versions and custom ones with unique features. For instance, you might find a server with a zombie apocalypse theme or one where users can erase the original storyline and characters to create their own narrative using the tools provided. While it doesn’t offer a full-fledged sandbox experience like Grand Theft Auto (GTA), there is some potential for a more open-ended gameplay, albeit to a smaller extent.

In addition to the standard gameplay, the Digital Deluxe Edition of MindsEye comes with extra missions made using ARCADIA. This means there’s potential for more content after the initial release, as suggested by Build a Rocket Boy. But, it might be helpful to understand how this works in simpler terms. Essentially, the developers are adding additional content to the game, but they haven’t yet shown this extra content in trailers or promoted it heavily. It seems that while Everywhere isn’t necessary to play MindsEye at launch, there’s a chance that could change in the future as the game evolves and expands.

MindsEye, which is set to launch in about three weeks, lacks substantial official gameplay demonstrations so far, and what we’ve seen doesn’t seem particularly impressive. Additionally, there’s an entire user-generated content aspect that Build a Rocket Boy hasn’t discussed yet. At $60, the expectation is for a more comprehensive preview of the experience. Merely destroying cars and watching them explode won’t suffice.

Absolutely, it’s understandable that people might be inclined to trust Benzies given his impressive background. As the ex-president of Rockstar North and the core developer behind the Grand Theft Auto series, including the upcoming GTA 6, he has played a significant role in every major release from Rockstar.

Throughout the entire series, including titles like Grand Theft Auto 3, Benzies served as the consistent producer. In Max Payne 3 and L.A. Noire, he took on the role of executive producer. For Grand Theft Auto 5, he combined roles as a producer and game designer. At one time, Benzies was virtually identified with Rockstar North much like Dan Houser was associated with Rockstar Games in their entirety. Perhaps his extensive background warrants some relief from the spotlight.

Keep in mind that “Grand Theft Auto 5” was the last project completed back in 2013. On the other hand, “Everywhere” was initially announced in January 2017 and started development on Amazon’s Lumberyard engine. Later, it shifted to Unreal Engine in 2020. Initially planned for a 2023 release, it encountered delays. In 2024, the team behind “Everywhere” experienced layoffs of an undisclosed number of employees.

Despite being originally based in Edinburgh, the developer also maintains studios in Montpelier and Budapest. It’s essential to clarify that these additional projects aren’t experiencing any development issues, but given the extended development phase of Everywhere, one might anticipate a more definitive release date or some form of confirmation at this stage.

Regarding MindsEye, it was initially hinted at in 2022, meaning almost three years have passed since then. The developer may remain silent until the final stages of refinement. We might be nearing the deadline, and if things don’t go as planned, they could even announce a last-minute postponement. Unfortunately, aside from some gameplay previews and “story” trailers that haven’t sparked much interest in the characters, except for that dancing robot, there’s been minimal communication from the studio just before its release.

It’s quite unexpected given their claims about a “deep, skillfully-woven plot,” or how the fast-paced driving scenes are reminiscent of a Fast and Furious movie. If this hints at a future space journey, it would be one of the rare compelling aspects of MindsEye.

To put it simply, just because an artist initially gains fame in one studio, doesn’t guarantee future success elsewhere. Although there’s a lot of buzz about user-generated content, the debut of MindsEye might not be what ultimately shapes its future. Nevertheless, Build a Rocket Boy must clearly outline the unique aspects that make this an engaging experience in itself and as quickly as possible.

* This article reflects the personal opinions of its author; they may not align with or be officially endorsed by GamingBolt as a whole.

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2025-05-20 20:42