MindsEye Update 7 Is Framed as a Big Step Forward as Build a Rocket Boy Tries to Rebuild Trust After a Brutal 2025
Build a Rocket Boy is still in recovery mode after MindsEye became one of the most criticized and lowest rated releases of 2025, and the studio is now positioning its latest patch as a meaningful turning point. Update 7 is being described internally as a big step forward for both the game and the company, with CEO and CTO Mark Gerhard publicly tying the patch to a broader commitment to stabilize performance, tighten gameplay, and restore confidence through steady delivery.
According to the official patch notes, Update 7 focuses on campaign flow improvements, clearer objectives, and continued refinement of AI behavior, aiming to make missions easier to follow and less punishing in ways that players previously called out as unfair. The practical changes include additional objective markers and viewpoint locations in specific missions, mission design adjustments, and balance tweaks such as removing an unfair fail condition in 1 mission and increasing a character’s health in others to smooth out difficulty spikes and reduce frustration.
Gerhard’s messaging is also being used to reinforce a bigger narrative: that the studio is listening, moving quickly, and treating this as an ongoing improvement cycle rather than a one off patch. In a press release statement, he thanks players for feedback and emphasizes continued work on performance, substantial combat and gameplay enhancements, and a roadmap that includes new content in development. The studio’s tone is clear: stabilization first, then expansion, with the promise that the end goal remains delivering the MindsEye experience the team originally envisioned and that players expect from a premium release.
Still, the road to redemption is steep, and Build a Rocket Boy’s credibility problem is not limited to technical performance. The studio’s troubles were visible even before launch, with negative early impressions, copies circulating without a day 1 patch fueling memes, and high level departures reportedly happening just 2 weeks before release. After launch, player backlash escalated into refund headlines, and the studio publicly acknowledged disappointment in how the release landed.
The aftermath also turned into a broader leadership and culture story. Following the launch, reports described layoffs and internal conflict, including allegations of sabotage from founder Leslie Benzies, while developers and reporting pushed back by placing responsibility on studio leadership, citing management issues and instability. The pressure reportedly continued into the publishing side as well, with a recent report claiming Build a Rocket Boy and IO Interactive ended their publishing arrangement, with the studio said to be seeking more control over the game and its future.
That context matters because Update 7 is not just a patch, it is a trust rebuild milestone. Fixing bugs and smoothing campaign flow can raise the baseline, but MindsEye’s biggest challenge is proving that the core loop can evolve into something players actively recommend, not just something that runs better. The game’s reputation was shaped by more than instability, with criticism also targeting design and narrative. If Build a Rocket Boy pulls off a turnaround, it will likely require more than optimization and balance tuning. It may require fundamental redesign choices, and the final product could look meaningfully different from what shipped.
For now, Update 7 is a signal that the studio is still investing in MindsEye rather than walking away. The next updates will decide whether this becomes a genuine comeback arc or simply a late effort to stabilize a damaged release.
If you tried MindsEye at launch, what would it take for you to reinstall and give it a second chance, smoother performance, better mission design, or deeper combat changes?
