What The Hell Happened To MindsEye?

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Could you explain what became of Build A Rocket Boy’s MindsEye? It seems surprising given that it was led by a former Grand Theft Auto producer, whose previous project remains one of the highest-grossing games ever made. You might be curious about how things could have unfolded in such a way.

After debuting on Steam with largely negative user reviews that have barely managed to move into “Mixed” territory (with only 40% of the 1,336 reviews giving it a positive rating), the game has also triggered refunds on the PlayStation Store due to its subpar performance on PS5. Streamers who were sponsored to play the game experienced numerous crashes, likely explaining why Build A Rocket Boy decided to cancel further sponsored streams. While it may seem unappealing to pull the plug at the last minute, it’s preferable to avoiding showcasing the game’s technical issues to an even larger audience.

In their most recent Reddit post, the development team expressed regret that not all players could enjoy the game as intended due to certain issues. They are now working diligently on improving performance and stability across all platforms. A hotfix will be rolled out this week, followed by another next week, with Update 3 coming at the end of this month. Unfortunately, it’s clear that the studio’s credibility has taken a hit, and some might say the game MindsEye isn’t living up to expectations. It’s challenging to feel much compassion under these circumstances.

Initially, no advance copies of the game were distributed for review. Regardless of whether or not the studio was aware of the issues prior to release, their action to hinder any negative reviews before launch seems ironic now. They even attempted to restrict early streamers from revealing the game before its official release. Only a small number of critical reviews are accessible at this time, but the user score on Metacritic, a staggering 3.0 out of 255 ratings, speaks volumes.

When someone inquires about the issues with “MindsEye”, I find myself saying, “Can you imagine how vast the possibilities are when trying to pinpoint what exactly might be amiss?

Initially, when the initial movie-like trailer was released, the realism of the cutscenes left me genuinely awestruck. Simultaneously, they unveiled the first “gameplay” trailer – a one-minute demonstration of driving, shooting, driving while firing, and my personal favorite, aiming at nothing (not to mention explosions). It appeared so monotonous, devoid of excitement, that I almost forgot about it. Seemingly, even the development team had forgotten about it, as they didn’t display extensive gameplay or a mission guide until late May – just about two weeks before launch.

Once more, they’ve been generating excitement for the game well before revealing any specifics. In October 2024, studio head Leslie Benzies described it as a “top-tier premium game with an ever-expanding universe,” boasting “outstanding cinematics, thrilling racing, and intense combat.” At least he was accurate about the abundance of explosions in the combat sequences.

Following the announcement of its release date, the studio shared several exciting quotes that they likely didn’t anticipate would cause them trouble later on. For instance, “a thoughtful, smoothly progressing narrative that values your time!” Also, “an exhilarating camera perspective that makes you feel like you’re hanging onto control, just like in a Fast & Furious movie!” However, criticism was swiftly growing around this period, as many viewers of the lore trailers expressed their desire for actual gameplay. This backlash occurred even after the developers shared brief gameplay previews, which have since been oddly removed from view.

Amid all this – and the reveal of the absurd PC requirements – co-CEO Mark Gerhard said on Discord that there was “a concerted effort by some people” to “trash the game and the studio.” It was apparently easy to see with “bots and the repeated replies to any content that we put out,” per Gerhard. Nothing about actual valid criticism against the title and its marketing, though, sadly enough.

Indeed, there were other queries regarding the matter. For instance, what became of Everywhere, Build A Rocket Boy’s debut title announced in 2017? Recently, they announced that MindsEye would incorporate the same Arcadia Creation Suite, which led to some perplexity. To add to the mystery, an interview with Benzies surfaced, where he discussed the approximately 20 hours it takes to complete the game and stated that one cannot include “filler content” because people are interested in the main content, or the “meat and the potatoes.

Surprisingly, this is one of the sanest sections as he proceeded to elaborate on the long-term strategy for MindsEye, specifically the “comprehensive ten-year plan” that they are currently implementing. This plan includes players traveling back 10,000 years, then moving forward in time, engaging in a multiplayer sequel set one year later in an open world, and a free-roam title connecting these two experiences. Furthermore, Everywhere is planned to reappear within the same product, integrating seamlessly into the story at some point. However, to avoid spoiling anything, let’s keep quiet about specific details until closer to the game’s release and actual gameplay becomes available.

Approximately two days following this event, our company’s Financial Chief and Legal Advisor chose to leave their positions. The reason behind these departures remains undisclosed, but the timing – happening just days before our major release – has certainly added to the existing unease among staff.

By checking out the official YouTube channel, you’ll come across a development diary titled “MindsEye – Quality Assurance With Leslie Benzies.” In this video, he and other team members are seen playing the game in their office’s lounge, pointing out issues that need fixing. Jokingly, I commented on the game’s optimization being poor due to only one person handling quality assurance. However, it’s intriguing to read some of the comments. One comment reads, “If this much effort is dedicated to quality assurance… I can hardly fathom the level of detail in the actual gameplay. I’m excited!

Regardless of whether the figure is fictional or not, the aim was to give an impression that the studio’s founder and president is deeply invested in their game, spending countless hours playing it to maintain its high quality. This level of commitment to quality is a hallmark of our studio.

Several days after the launch debacle, Benzies has yet to issue any statement. Then there’s IO Interactive. When announcing its role as publisher, it promised to help with localization, distribution, marketing, game support, and even QA. While there are plenty of questions regarding Build A Rocket Boy and its quality assurance, you have to wonder: Did IO Interactive know about the state of the game? Was it willfully obfuscating it, or just seeing the builds provided by Benzies and Co., and believing everything was fine? How deep was its involvement in quality assurance? If it was significant, then how did the game still turn out in such a terrible state?

Discussing MindsEye’s downfall presents numerous possibilities. Firstly, it was initially created within Everywhere, a platform that aimed to rival heavyweights like Fortnite, though such ambitions were likely beyond the studio’s capabilities. Secondly, the concept of MindsEye, being both an action-adventure game and an open world where players contribute content, was ambitious yet risky. Thirdly, emphasis was placed on glamour and cutscenes rather than ensuring the game itself was fun and bug-free. Lastly, the ten-year plan was a strategy that, given its track record with larger companies boasting greater resources, didn’t seem to yield successful results.

Instead, I’d rather view it as a complex teaching moment. Not all well-known entities, even with their established reputation, will produce high-quality games, especially without the same resources and renowned development team to back them up. Similarly, having skilled developers doesn’t necessarily mean that every big name can successfully implement their supposed vision. Furthermore, no matter how impressive the cutscenes or graphics may be, there’s simply no replacement for solid gameplay.

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2025-06-15 21:41