MindsEyeis a new third-person shooter from ex-Rockstar executive’s studio, Build a Rocket Boy, and its release yesterday may be the most problematic and controversial launch of 2025. Developers at MindsEye have already issued several apologies for the state of the game at release, and it’s hard to say if the game will be able to recover from such a rocky start. So far, it doesn’t look very promising for MindsEye, and even with limited data from Metacritic reviews, the game’s launch state is not going to be the last issue players face.
An X post from the officialMindsEyeaccount has now acknowledged thatthe game’s performance on both console and PC has reportedly caused crashes due to a memory leak, warranting refunds from PlayStation.This is coming off the back of release issues like the studio failing to provide review copies of the game, which would have presumably highlighted the game’s troubled state before launch. Today’s announcement and the recent refunds are just another detail in a somewhat drawn-out string of controversies over the past several months.
Why Is MindsEye So Controversial?
It Doesn’t Take A Concerted Effort To See MindsEye’s Problems
MindsEyehas been plagued by controversy for a while now, and the state of the game at launchonly goes to affirm what many players have been expecting.There have been many reported bugs and glitches with the initial launch, with Reddit userMasterOfMoogles1995providing proof that these were substantial enough for support to provide a full refundthe PlayStation Store.
PerIGN, Mark Gerhard, the Co-CEO for Build A Rocket Boy, engaged in a Discord discussion where he attempted to blame the negative reviews of the game ona “concerted effort"to kneecap the game before it launched.The studio also failed to provide any major review outlet with advanced codesto preview and review the game, limiting the options for potential buyers to assess the quality of the game before purchasing at launch. Not providing review codes doesn’t send a message of great confidence in the game.
Can MindsEye Recover From This Launch?
Having Played A Few Hours Of MindsEye, My Expectations Are Quite Low
I wanted to giveMindsEyethe benefit of the doubt and was reluctant to judge it based on the limited negative reviews so far. Unfortunately, I find myself regretting the money spent on this, not only because of the multiple crashes I experienced in the short time playing, but also because I found it an overall underwhelming experience. It emulates many gameplay mechanics from GTA, but without any of the exciting or interesting features thatmake GTA enjoyable. As much as I wanted this to be a fun game,I became uninterested in a very short time frame.
Overall, I don’t think MindsEye has a very good chance at recovering from a rough launch that has been riddled with glitches and bugs. Even in a perfectly performing state, I’m not sure the gameplay justifies the price tag.MindsEyecould very well be the most generic third-person shooter I’ve ever played, and it hasn’t done itself any favors by releasing in such a poor state and surrounding itself in controversy.
