MindsEye Goes Independent as IOI Partners Severs Publishing Ties

IOI Partners has officially ended its publishing agreement for MindsEye, transferring all publishing rights and duties to the game's developer, Build A Rocket Boy. According to a press release issued today, this change takes effect on March 16, 2026, with IOI Partners stepping back from any involvement in MindsEye beyond facilitating the transition. As a result, a previously announced crossover event between IOI's Hitman: World of Assassination and MindsEye has been scrapped.

This split comes as no surprise given MindsEye's troubled history. Developed by Build A Rocket Boy, a studio led by Leslie Benzies—known for his work on multiple Grand Theft Auto titles—the game initially generated high expectations. It was originally conceived as part of Everywhere, a platform dubbed a "Roblox for adults" that would enable users to craft custom gaming experiences. While Everywhere never launched, MindsEye debuted in 2025 to a disappointing reception, earning a 4/10 rating from IGN and a Metacritic score of 38 from critics, alongside a user score of 2.6. The game has struggled to attract players, with current Steam data showing only 17 active users and a peak concurrent player count of just 3,302.

In response, Build A Rocket Boy has rolled out several patches to address performance problems. Last month, the studio released its most significant update yet, featuring bug fixes, polish improvements, and refined AI behavior. However, promised major content updates have been delayed as the team focuses on stabilizing the existing game.

Amid these challenges, co-CEO Mark Gerhard has repeatedly alleged a "concerted effort" to "trash the game and the studio," suggesting that individuals were paid to post negative reviews and hinting at involvement from an unnamed rival studio. IOI has denied these claims.

The studio has also faced multiple rounds of layoffs, with the most recent wave prompting Gerhard to assert that Build A Rocket Boy is investigating "criminal activity" related to the game's launch, citing "overwhelming evidence" of "organized espionage and corporate sabotage" against MindsEye. In October, over 90 staff members signed an open letter demanding an apology from leadership for "mistreatment" and "proper compensation" for those affected by layoffs.

When questioned about MindsEye's rocky launch, IOI CEO Hakan Abrak remarked, "Well, that was definitely tough, right?" acknowledging that the outcome fell short of IOI's expectations.