Latest news with #BuildaRocketBoy
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
MindsEye director Leslie Benzies blames the game's failure on saboteurs, critics label him the 'most delusional man in gaming'
AllBollywoodCelebscoopHollywoodOriginalsBinge MindsEye was among the most disastrous gaming releases of 2025. | Credit: X MindsEye has been among the most disastrous gaming launches of 2025. Developed by Build a Rocket Boy, founded by former Rockstar Games producer Leslie Benzies, the game was highly anticipated because of the pedigree behind it. The release, however, has been widely characterized as disastrous. Released in a buggy, unfinished state with serious optimization issues, MindsEye was also panned by critics for its barebones, by-the-numbers gameplay loop and an anticlimactic ending that failed to give the storyline a satisfying conclusion. The way Build a Rocket Boy executives, including Leslie Benzies, have responded to the game's poor reception has also come under scrutiny, particularly with Benzies blaming 'internal and external saboteurs' for the game's failure. In response to Benzies's comments that were reported by IGN, streamer Moist Critical called him 'the most delusional man in gaming'. Leslie Benzies is eyeing a MindsEye relaunch The source here from IGN who obtained this statement: — ben (@videotechuk_) July 3, 2025 Even as the future of Build a Rocket Boy looks more uncertain than ever following MindsEye's failure, Leslie Benzies is reportedly keen on relaunching the title and salvaging the studio's reputation. While there is a precedent for games such as Final Fantasy XIV, No Man's Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 making a comeback from their disastrous launches, there is no clear roadmap for what MindsEye's future might amount to, although the developers have started rolling out patches to address technical issues. Studio leads are being slammed for their response to criticism Comments from both Leslie Banzies, as well as co-CEO Mark Gerhard, that imply that MindsEye was deliberately sabotaged, have drawn sharp mockery and derision from critics, who accuse the studio heads of refusing to take responsibility for the state the game launched in. Gaming news YouTuber LegacyKillerHD outright accused Leslie Benzies of hypocrisy, claiming that Leslie had originally pushed back against co-CEO Mark Gerhard's conspiratorial claims that there was a 'concerted effort' to malign the game, only to start echoing them once the dismal state of MindsEye became clear. I love how Leslie Benzies prior to launch disagreed publicly with his co-ceo that "saboteurs" were responsible for the negative impressions people had of the game prior to launch and yet... here we are. Zero ownership that they made a historically bad game. Just blame game shit. — Michael (@LegacyKillaHD) July 3, 2025 Popular streamer Moist Critical was also scathing in his assessment of Leslie Benzies, claiming that he'd displaced former EA CEO John Riccitiello as the most delusional man in gaming. He proceeded to explain that he didn't consider Leslie delusional because of the poor quality of the game, but because of Leslie's seeming inability to accept any responsibility for its state. For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment. First Published: Jul 07, 2025, 03:31 IST Pulak Kumar is an entertainment and current events writer who got his start with bylines in Sportskeeda and Koi Moi. He's immensely passionate about understanding and analyzing the latest happenings in Hollywood, anime, gaming and pop culture. Read More 7/7/2025 3:47:2
Engadget
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
MindsEye dev warns staff about layoffs amid talk of saboteurs and 'relaunch'
Microsoft isn't the only gaming company talking about layoffs this week. MindsEye developer Build a Rocket Boy (BARB) notified around 300 employees that they risk losing their jobs. However, the drama doesn't end there. The studio has reportedly blamed saboteurs for its woes… again. BARB workers posted on LinkedIn this week about receiving "risk of redundancy" emails. (That followed confirmation last month that the company formally began a layoff process.) Unfortunately, layoffs are par for the course these days. As for the rest of BARB's story? That's where things get weird. IGN reported that BARB founder Leslie Benzies addressed staff in a video call this week. (He's a former Rockstar North president and GTA producer.) Benzies is said to have blamed BARB's and MindsEye 's problems on internal and external saboteurs. That echoes comments made by co-CEO Mark Gerhard ahead of MindsEye 's launch. He claimed pre-release negative feedback was "100 percent" financed by someone. Who did Gerhard blame? Well, he didn't say outright. But he seemed to hint that Rockstar was involved. "Doesn't take much to guess who," he said. (Benzies departed the GTA developer on rocky terms, legal disputes in tow.) In yesterday's call, Benzies also reportedly vowed to relaunch MindsEye . That's a tough trick to pull off. Just look at the industry's few success stories. Final Fantasy XIV is part of an established franchise that has been a gaming household name for decades. And then you have titles like No Man's Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 that were gradually updated. They both arrived with considerably more interest from the gaming world than MindsEye . The latter's appeal largely came from Benzies' involvement. Will that even carry much weight after all the drama surrounding the launch? That isn't to say MindsEye couldn't improve dramatically and find a following. The single-player action-adventure game has a noticeable GTA influence, which will appeal to many. Criticism was aimed at its bugs (fixable), well-worn storyline (greedy humans and robot armies) and gameplay (drive, shoot, repeat). But it also has impressive cinematics and a tight linear arc. A tighter, bug-free version could scratch an itch for fans of Cyberpunk and Watch Dogs. MindsEye is also published by IO Interactive, which worked on Hitman: World of Assassination for years after launch. If BARB can hustle to regain players' trust, perhaps it could at least live to fight another day. Still, MindsEye 's list of ingredients doesn't exactly scream "gamers will come back." And with around 300 fewer employees working on it, that's an even taller order.
Scotsman
23-06-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Scottish MindsEye developer Build a Rocket Boy may cut over 100 jobs
More than 100 employees at the Leith-based company could be affected by redundancies following the poor launch of MindsEye. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A number of staff at Scottish games company Build a Rocket Boy could be facing redundancy following the launch of MindsEye earlier this month. The Edinburgh-based studio, which was founded by former Grand Theft Auto producer Leslie Benzies, launched its debut title on June 10 to overwhelmingly negative reviews. Players across platforms reported significant performance issues, bugs, glitches and AI behaviour issues, with developers releasing a statement that their teams were working to fix problems. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Now, IGN have reported that the company has begun a redundancy process which could impact more than 100 members of staff. According to an email reviewed by the outlet a 45-day consultation process has been initiated, which typically means that an employer has proposed 100 or more redundancies within 90-days. It is understood that Build a Rocket Boy currently has around 300 employees located in 32 countries, with their main headquarters based in Leith. Build a Rocket Boy previously made staff redundant in early 2024, after raising $110 million in private funding for their Everywhere title.
Scottish Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Sony issuing refunds to PS5 owners over gaming blunder as players given ‘sincere apology' and promised urgent fix
The game has faced backlash since it launched PAY-STATION Sony issuing refunds to PS5 owners over gaming blunder as players given 'sincere apology' and promised urgent fix Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SONY has announced that it will be issuing refunds over a gaming blunder. The gaming giant had to issue an apology after gamers experienced significant problems with one if its new releases. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Sony has reportedly issued refunds after the developer wrote an apology Credit: Getty 2 Gamers have cited bugs and a slow frame rate as just some of the issues with the game Credit: Getty Players of Mindseye faced glitches galore when they tried to run the game which is available on PS5, PC and Xbox series X/S. The third-person shooter game was released on June 10, but TheGamer reported that Sony has already started handing out refunds. In the past, Sony has been reluctant to offer refunds unless a game is almost entirely unplayable. Gamers have reported recurring crashes and a sub-30 frames-per-second running rate. Developers of the game Build a Rocket Boy issued an apology after users complained about the issues they were facing. They also promised a "hotfix" to address the immediate performance problems. Build a Rocket Boy said in their statement: "A heartfelt thank you to all our day-one players. We know the launch of Mindseye hasn't been without its challenges for some of you. "Right now, our top priority is game performance. We understand that the requirements are high and have limited the experience for many of you, and for this, we sincerely apologise. "Improving performance across all devices is our immediate focus. A patch that begins our commitment to address this is scheduled for the end of this week on PC, which will also roll out to consoles as soon as possible." Even before the game's release it was already the subject of controversy, with Push Square giving it a 3 out of 10 review. The game is described on Stream as "a narrative driven, single-player action-adventure thriller set in the near-future fictional desert city of Redrock. "Featuring best-in class cinematics, high octane driving, and explosive combat from game director Leslie Benzies." Reviews so far have been mostly negative, with nearly 1500 reviews averaging out at 2.5 stars. One recent 2/10 review reads: "Mindseye isn't disappointing - disappointment implies expectations. This is a $60 crash course in how to wrap a hollow experience in cinematic lighting and misleading trailers." Another customer who had their purchase refunded wrote: "Absolutely horrible game." Even without the technical problems, gamers criticised it as a "boring" cash grab with "stupid" side missions. They did, however, praise the game for its immersive cutscenes, although for many this wasn't enough to redeem it. Others were more positive, with one writing: "I recommend it once all the bugs are fixed." Another wrote: "I really believe this game could turn around. The potential is there." Promotional Twitch content was postponed after the developer became aware of some of the bugs - with popular streamer CohhCarnage having his stream cancelled just as he was about to begin promoting the game. Others content creators that had been paid to promote the game clearly showed its many issues - with streamers trying to talk through the game while it crashed.
The Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Sony issuing refunds to PS5 owners over gaming blunder as players given ‘sincere apology' and promised urgent fix
SONY has announced that it will be issuing refunds over a gaming blunder. The gaming giant had to issue an apology after gamers experienced significant problems with one if its new releases. 2 2 Players of Mindseye faced glitches galore when they tried to run the game which is available on PS5, PC and Xbox series X/S. The third-person shooter game was released on June 10, but TheGamer reported that Sony has already started handing out refunds. In the past, Sony has been reluctant to offer refunds unless a game is almost entirely unplayable. Gamers have reported recurring crashes and a sub-30 frames-per-second running rate. Developers of the game Build a Rocket Boy issued an apology after users complained about the issues they were facing. They also promised a "hotfix" to address the immediate performance problems. Build a Rocket Boy said in their statement: "A heartfelt thank you to all our day-one players. We know the launch of Mindseye hasn't been without its challenges for some of you. "Right now, our top priority is game performance. We understand that the requirements are high and have limited the experience for many of you, and for this, we sincerely apologise. "Improving performance across all devices is our immediate focus. A patch that begins our commitment to address this is scheduled for the end of this week on PC, which will also roll out to consoles as soon as possible." Even before the game's release it was already the subject of controversy, with Push Square giving it a 3 out of 10 review. The game is described on Stream as "a narrative driven, single-player action-adventure thriller set in the near-future fictional desert city of Redrock. "Featuring best-in class cinematics, high octane driving, and explosive combat from game director Leslie Benzies." Reviews so far have been mostly negative, with nearly 1500 reviews averaging out at 2.5 stars. One recent 2/10 review reads: "Mindseye isn't disappointing - disappointment implies expectations. This is a $60 crash course in how to wrap a hollow experience in cinematic lighting and misleading trailers." Another customer who had their purchase refunded wrote: "Absolutely horrible game." Even without the technical problems, gamers criticised it as a "boring" cash grab with "stupid" side missions. They did, however, praise the game for its immersive cutscenes, although for many this wasn't enough to redeem it. Others were more positive, with one writing: "I recommend it once all the bugs are fixed." Another wrote: "I really believe this game could turn around. The potential is there." Promotional Twitch content was postponed after the developer became aware of some of the bugs - with popular streamer CohhCarnage having his stream cancelled just as he was about to begin promoting the game. Others content creators that had been paid to promote the game clearly showed its many issues - with streamers trying to talk through the game while it crashed.
