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Former GTA boss behind MindsEye disaster makes bizarre claim and blames 'saboteurs' for flop

MindsEye was touted as one of 2025's most anticipated games but turned into a bit of a disaster. And now former GTA lead Leslie Benzies, behind the game, has made an usual claim

[MindsEye]

We had such high hopes for MindsEye(Image: Build a Rocket Boy)

MindsEye was expected to be one of the year's most exciting games, coming from former Grand Theft Auto lead developer Leslie Benzies.

Early signs were promising, offering a near-future world with some impressive visuals, but after launching rough shape and full of bugs, developer Build A Rocket Boy was forced to begin layoffs.

Now, Benzies has broken his silence to take aim at "internal and external saboteurs", with around 300 staff in danger of losing their jobs, as well as staff at PlayFusion, a studio acquired by Build A Rocket Boy.

Here's all we know about the state of play for MindsEye and the team behind it.

Rockstar legend breaks silence after disastrous launch

[MindsEye]

MindsEye is the studio's debut title(Image: Build a Rocket Boy)

According to a new report from IGN, "Benzies finally addressed staff following the release of MindsEye in a brief video call yesterday, July 2."

"According to two people present who asked not to be named in order to protect their careers, Benzies insisted BARB would bounce back and relaunch MindsEye, blaming the studio and the games struggles on internal and external saboteurs, among other things."

Those same sources have told IGN that there is hope that the studio can rebuild its reputation (and MindsEye), eventually making the project a success.

Following launch, gamers criticised the game's performance, particularly on PC, while Sony even refunded some users who bought the game on PS5, in a situation reminiscent of Cyberpunk 2077's initial PS4 release.

Cyberpunk 2077 was initially delisted on PlayStation, but the game did eventually see a redemption arc that now sees it highly regarded. Still, with the future of so much of Build A Rocket Buy still up in the air, it's clearly not a sure thing that MindsEye could manage the same.

Prior to launch, co-CEO Mark Gerhard had claimed on the game's Discord that negative reactions to the title came from paid detractors.

Do you think that all the people who reacted negatively were financed by someone?" one user asked, to which Gerhard responded "100%", saying "Doesn't take much to guess who".

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," another commenter said.

Not wild when its [sic] true..... Gerhard responded, while also pointing to "bot farms posting negative comments and dislikes."

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