Build A Rocket Boy Is “Committed to Refining MindsEye,” Releases Major Update
MindsEye, the troubled debut from Rockstar veteran Leslie Benzies’ studio Build a Rocket Boy, has received a new patch as the developer insists it is still committed to improving the critically panned title. The game, which launched to disastrous reception earlier this year and currently sits as the worst-reviewed game of 2025 on Metacritic, has faced widespread criticism, layoffs at the studio, and even forced its publisher IO Interactive to reevaluate its publishing ambitions.
In a Steam update, Build a Rocket Boy confirmed that Update 4 is now live, bringing a range of UX improvements, performance enhancements, and numerous bug fixes across all platforms. The studio emphasized its long-term plans for support:
“Update 4 introduces a range of UX improvements, numerous performance enhancements to the game and we’ve squashed a load of bugs. These efforts will continue in Update 5, where our team is working hard to deliver a major performance, combat and Enemy AI system improvement. We remain committed to refining MindsEye and enhancing the gameplay experience. Ongoing updates will continue to be shared.”
The latest patch lists dozens of fixes, including optimizations to reduce crashes and refinements to combat responsiveness. Still, as players know all too well, MindsEye’s problems extend far beyond technical instability. Its lackluster gameplay loop, shallow combat mechanics, and uninspired mission design have made it one of the year’s most disappointing releases, drawing comparisons to notorious failures like The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (2023), South Park: Snow Day (2024), and Funko Fusion (2024).
The update comes in the wake of reports that IO Interactive, which published MindsEye under its IOI Partners label, is reconsidering publishing third-party projects altogether after the game’s catastrophic launch. IOI is now expected to focus solely on self-publishing its own titles, including the much-anticipated 007 First Light.
Whether Build a Rocket Boy can salvage MindsEye through continued updates remains uncertain. With Update 5 promising major overhauls to performance, combat, and AI systems, the developer faces the daunting task of convincing a skeptical player base that the game can still fulfill its original vision. If not, MindsEye may go down as both Build a Rocket Boy’s first and last major release.
Do you think MindsEye can be saved with enough updates, or is it destined to remain one of 2025’s biggest failures?
