Summary
Mark Gerhard, the co-CEO ofMindsEyedevelopment studio Build a Rocket Boy, has claimed that people are being paid to talk negatively about the upcoming title.MindsEyeis the first game from Build a Rocket Boy, with ex-Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies, who has worked on everyGrand Theft Autogame betweenGrand Theft Auto 3andGrand Theft Auto 5, at the helm.
After first being teased at Gamescom in 2022, Build a Rocket Boy went on to fully reveal the title in 2023 before announcing a year later thatMindsEyewould be published byHitmanstudio, IO Interactive. The game, which, at face value, looks to be inspired by titles such asCyberpunk 2077,Grand Theft Auto, andWatch Dogs, will officially launch on June 10 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Unfortunately, recent trailers have received mixed reviews from fans, with some even comparing it to thecontroversial and short-lived titleThe Day Before.
MindsEye Boss Claims Negative Reaction Is a Paid Effort
Afterpreviews forMindsEyewent live last week, Build a Rocket Boy co-CEO Mark Gerhard has suggested that players are “100%” being “financed” to say negative things about the title. As noted byEurogamer, a rundown of the previewsposted to Twitterdescribed the game as a “broken mess, filled with bugs.” The post goes on to explain that previews have suggested driving feels “stiff” while enemy encounters “lacked depth.” Following the negative reception, Gerhard took to Discord to reply to a fan who suggested people were being paid off, saying there is 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.”
According toIGN, Gerhard eventually walked back those outlandish claims when questioned by another Discord user. “So just to clarify — you believe that individuals, be it content creators or otherwise, have been paid off to criticise MindsEye?” one user asked. Gerhard then replied by saying, “No I never said that. I do KNOW that there are bot farms posting negative comments and dislikes.”
MindsEye, which is now less than two weeks away from its worldwide launch, is described as a narrative driven, single-player action-adventure thriller set in the near-future fictional desert city of Redrock. Build a Rocket Boy says the game features “best-in-class” cinematics, high octane driving, and explosive combat. The studio’s most recent trailer for the upcoming title revealed thepost-launch roadmap forMindsEye, which will be divided between a free and premium pass that players can purchase. The premium version of the pass will feature extra missions and cosmetic packs throughout Summer, Fall, and Winter, while the free version will include new missions, modes, multiplayer, free roam updates, and more.
AlthoughMindsEye’s fictional city Redrockappears similar to that ofCyberpunk 2077orGrand Theft Auto 5, there is one key difference. Unlike the action-adventure games thatMindsEyeis being compared to, it doesn’t feature an open-world, as the title is “fundamentally a linear narrative,” according to the game’s assistant game director, Adam Whiting (viaEurogamer).
