Latest news with #LeslieBenzies
Time of India
06-07-2025
- 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
03-07-2025
- 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.
Express Tribune
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
MindsEye developer announce layoffs after game was critically panned
Build A Rocket Boy, the developer behind MindsEye, has confirmed reports of layoffs less than a month after the troubled release of its debut title. The company, which has yet to comment further, acknowledged the staffing reductions in a statement to IGN, calling the decision a difficult one. The studio has not disclosed the exact number of employees affected by the layoffs, but reports suggest that around 100 of the company's 500 employees could be impacted. MindsEye, a futuristic, single-player narrative action game, was designed as the first entry in an expansive interconnected universe, with high expectations surrounding its release. The title was developed by Leslie Benzies, the former Rockstar Games producer known for his work on the Grand Theft Auto series. MindsEye developers Break a Rocket Boy have reportedly already began laying off over a hundred staff after a disastrous launch. This game has really been a rollercoaster to watch, a Concord level failure that'll probably result in the closure of BARB soon. What a mess. — Synth Potato🥔 (@SynthPotato) June 23, 2025 However, the launch of MindsEye was far from smooth. The game faced widespread criticism for its performance issues, glitches, and poor reviews. In addition to negative feedback from critics, sponsored streams for the game were abruptly cancelled just before they were set to go live, further denting its reputation. Despite initial optimism, including a roadmap for future content and multiplayer elements, MindsEye failed to deliver on its ambitious promises, leaving Build A Rocket Boy to manage the fallout. In its statement, Build A Rocket Boy expressed its commitment to transparency and fairness during the process and promised to explore reassigning roles for affected staff where possible. The company also stressed that it would continue working on MindsEye, despite the challenges ahead. As MindsEye navigates a difficult post-launch period, the studio faces an uphill battle. In a gaming landscape dominated by established titles like Fortnite and Roblox, new entries must contend with long-standing "forever games" that continually evolve and attract dedicated player bases. The future of MindsEye and its interconnected universe remains uncertain as Build A Rocket Boy works to recover from the initial setback.
The Verge
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
MindsEye developer undergoing layoffs less than a month after launch
Build a Rocket Boy has confirmed previous reports from IGN that it is undergoing layoffs less than a month after the tumultuous release of its first game MindsEye. The Verge reached out to Build a Rocket Boy to confirm the layoffs, but they did not respond. In a statement made to IGN, Build A Rocket Boy wrote: We can confirm that we have had to make the painful decision to notify our hardworking team of some internal changes at Build A Rocket Boy. While we are working to reassign roles for as many of those impacted by these changes as possible, sadly we are initiating a formal consultation process that may result in redundancies. This decision has not been made lightly, and we are committed to handling this process with transparency, fairness, and respect for all employees. We will provide further details to the team over the coming weeks. MindsEye is a new futuristic, single-player narrative action game. It was billed as the starting point in an epic, interconnected universe by its creator, former Rockstar Games producer Leslie Benzies, who's known for his work on the GTA series. Its release earlier this month was plagued by poor reviews, reports of major glitches, and even sponsored streams being cancelled moments before they were set to start. MindsEye was supposed to be big. Build A Rocket Boy posted an in-depth roadmap filled with lots of new content updates stretched out over the rest of the year. There were also plans to add multiplayer and open-world elements with additional hopes that the game's community would step up and provide their own labor. 'Hopefully some [players] will create compelling content we can then promote and make that part of our plans to push to other players,' Benzies said in an interview with Build a Rocket Boy has not confirmed the number of employees affected although IGN reporting suggested that around 100 workers would be impacted out of a total headcount of roughly 500. The company said in its statement it remains committed to delivering on its promises for MindsEye. But that will be exceedingly difficult in a climate where any new game with this kind of scope is fighting against forever games like Fortnite and Roblox.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
GTA前首席《MindsEye 心之眼》災難級評價，工作室啟動裁員程序百人丟工作
由前《GTA》系列首席製作人 Leslie Benzies 創立的 Build A Rocket Boy 工作室，在《MindsEye 心之眼》發售的慘烈評價幾乎成今年最爛遊戲後已經啟動裁員程序，這代表將有超過百人將失去工作，但或許製作人也該找找自己問題。 相關新聞：前GTA首席《MindsEye》爛到成2025年評分最低遊戲！媒體、玩家都不賞臉 相關新聞：GTA首席打造《MindsEye》遊戲差到誇張！連工商實況主都挺不下去笑場 MindsEye developers Break a Rocket Boy have reportedly already began laying off over a hundred staff after a disastrous game has really been a rollercoaster to watch, a Concord level failure that'll probably result in the closure of BARB soon. What a mess. — Synth Potato🥔 (@SynthPotato) June 23, 2025 Build A Rocket Boy 工作室已經啟動裁員諮詢程序，根據英國相關法律，如果在 90 天內要裁員超過 100 人就必須啟動這個流程，所以這個 300 人左右的團隊將會失去三分之一員工，看來很多還沒修好的問題跟需要的後續改善也不會立刻解決了。 《MindsEye 心之眼》在 Metacritic 平台只獲得 38 分評價，Steam 也獲得 37% 大多負評，雖然圖形表現相當細緻，但是內容大量 BUG、NPC 行動詭異、手感僵硬以及遊戲長度不同等問題，被玩家認為是 2025 年目前各項體驗都最爛的遊戲。
