IO Interactive is partnering with Build a Rocket Boy, the studio founded by former GTA producer Leslie Benzies, to release MindsEye, his upcoming AAA action-adventure game billed as a proof of concept for the studio’s Everywhere platform.
MindsEye will be distributed and marketed by IO Interactive, best known for the Hitman series, which is currently working on a James Bond game. IO Interactive Hakan Abrak says that development on Mindseye is “pretty advanced” and that the studio is currently working on plans to announce a release date.
MindsEye was first announced in February 2023 as a proof of concept for Everywhere, an Unreal Engine 5 MMO that Benzies touts as a game development system. Here is the official description for MindsEye: “MindsEye is a story-driven action-adventure thriller set in a fictional near-future America. Featuring best-in-class cinematography, high-octane driving, and explosive combat from legendary game director Leslie Benzies. Play as Jacob Diaz, a former soldier with a mysterious neural implant who suffers from memory loss and flashbacks.
There’s a conspicuous lack of an official release announcement anywhere, but Abrak claims it’s still being developed “based on the same technology, same engine.”
“We entered into a publishing deal with MindsEye,” says Abrak. “They are still working on the Everywhere product, but the same goes for Build a Rocket Boy. So there will be more communication about synergies and connections related to this. However, our deal and our publishing partnership is for MindsEye, which is a full AAA universe in itself.”
Abrak says that Benzies’ studio approached IO Interactive with a publishing deal and that “the first conversations were very friendly and consistent.” Notably, Build a Rocket Boy went through a series of layoffs in February shortly after raising $110 million, with a spokesperson saying in a statement: “While we have made great progress in developing our products, we are now in a position where we need to make changes to the way we how we work across our company to become a more flexible studio and come together
the requirements of our projects.”
When asked about how the layoffs affected development, Abrak told IGN: “Honestly, we haven’t talked about it. I mean, we’ve had conversations with them, we’ve done our due diligence, testing, and play to build, and they seem to have some incredibly talented people who lead a variety of disciplines in a variety of areas, from cinematic to gameplay… some really sturdy players in the industry. And honestly, I don’t know who or what regarding the layoffs, but that’s the team that’s working on it now that we’ve been talking to them over the last few months, it’s an absolutely outstanding team and we’re looking forward to working even closer with these people.
Abrak isn’t sure whether IO Interactive will sign any more publishing deals after MindsEye, saying any future game must be “unique.”
“It has to be something we see ourselves in, not only logically but also emotionally. So I can’t rule out that we won’t do something different. It’s very likely or possible that we might do another publishing deal with another partner, but I wouldn’t be able to say that we have to release this number of games and so on. This is not our corporate thinking, so if it feels really right to us, it is likely or not possible that we will be able to work with other people in the future,” he says.
While MindsEye doesn’t have a release date yet, it looks like we’ll learn more soon. In the meantime, watch our first hands-on preview of Everywhere since 2023.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s news director and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Got a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
