MindsEye, the upcoming third-person action-adventure game from a former Grand Theft Auto developer, is only a couple of weeks out from launch. In the nick of time, studio Build a Rocket Boy released the very first gameplay footage this week to let players know it’s an actual game. However, it hasn’t been met with a particularly welcoming reception online. Mark Gerhard, the co-CEO of the studio, believes all the criticism is a targeted attack against the game by “bot farms posting negative comments and dislikes.”
Previews for MindsEye went live earlier this week and players didn’t have kind things to say. Eurogamer gave a rundown of the game’s reception which painted it as a “broken mess, filled with bugs.” Other players criticised the driving for feeling “stiff” while the combat “lacked depth.” The marketing for the game isn’t doing it too many favours either.
Responding to a fan on Discord who asked if the negative comments were all paid off, Gerhard stated there’s a “concerted effort by some people that don’t want to see Leslie or Build A Rocket Boy to be successful that are making a concerted effort to trash the game and the studio.” Leslie Benzies is the former president of Rockstar North and the game director of MindsEye.
The backlash from Gerhard’s statement was swift, with one commenter noting: “A co-CEO for a studio implying another studio is paying previewers to talk negatively about your game is an absolutely wild comment to make in a public environment in any situation.” Gerhard responded to this by saying: “Not wild when it’s true…”
Gerhard later walked back on his initial statement after another user pressed him about it, asking: “So just to clarify — you believe that individuals, be it content creators or otherwise, have been paid off to criticise MindsEye?” The co-CEO, contradicting his previous comments, replied: “No I never said that. I do KNOW that there are bot farms posting negative comments and dislikes.” There’s no evidence to suggest these bot farms exist.
MindsEye launches on 10 June 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Source: IGN
