According to an investigative report by the YouTube channel Decode, the studio Build a Rocket Boy suffered from a profound lack of direction during development. Instead of achieving the success they envisioned, the project has been met with significant criticism and a reputation for being a flop.
The creator of Decode interviewed seven current and former employees and analyzed internal documents, revealing a studio weighed down by “runaway ambition, excessive micromanagement, and hollow promises.” One developer remarked:
It seemed like we didn’t truly understand the project until the final hour.
At the heart of the chaos was Leslie Benzies, the studio founder and former Rockstar Games producer, who reportedly maintained a bottleneck on nearly every decision. Spontaneous internal assignments, referred to as “Leslie’s tasks,” frequently overrode existing priorities, including the implementation of controversial features like tower defense-style side missions.
At the same time, the studio focused its efforts on Everywhere, envisioned as a hybrid of a game, a social platform, and a creative engine. Internal documents from 2022 indicate that the studio was exploring the integration of NFTs and play-to-earn concepts.
Despite securing more than £230 million in investment, MindsEye’s commercial performance fell flat. While the studio targeted 500,000 PC sales within the first month, actual figures reached only about 160,000 copies.
Source: iXBT.games