IO Interactive, the Danish studio best known for its acclaimed Hitman series, has publicly addressed the disastrous launch of MindsEye, a game it published in its first foray into external publishing. Released in 2025, MindsEye quickly earned a reputation as one of the year’s worst-reviewed games, marred by performance problems, confusing gameplay, and a decline in player trust.
Leading IO Interactive for nearly a decade, CEO Hakan Abrak told IGN that the initial partnership with developer Build A Rocket Boy, led by former Grand Theft Auto producer Leslie Benzies, was founded on mutual optimism. “We thought they had some great ideas and a great world in the background that they were building, and hopefully they’ll get the opportunity to show more of that in the future,” Abrak said. IOI’s role was primarily to support and distribute the project.
However, MindsEye rapidly fell short of expectations. The single-player shooter, set in a metaverse-like background, was heavily criticized for its lackluster design and technical glitches. Gathering just around 2,000 Steam reviews, with approximately 70% negative ratings, and holding one of the lowest Metacritic scores in 2025, the game has struggled to maintain a player base.
Build A Rocket Boy, originally working on a user-generated-content platform called Everywhere, pivoted to releasing MindsEye as a smaller scope project before the launch. Unfortunately, post-release complications caught up with the studio. Layoffs followed amid growing financial pressures and player dissatisfaction. Reports surfaced in July 2025 that Benzies accused internal and external actors of sabotage during a rare video call with staff, highlighting internal tensions within the company.
IO Interactive’s CEO was careful to distance his studio from ongoing development issues. Abrak referred to his own team as “we” and to the developer as “them,” suggesting a split in responsibility. While reaffirming that IO Interactive continues to focus on its own internally developed projects, including the highly anticipated 007 First Light James Bond game, Abrak said the future of external publishing partnerships remains uncertain: “That remains to be seen.”
This situation underscores the risks for established studios venturing into external publishing partnerships, especially as the gaming market becomes increasingly competitive and players' expectations rise. Furthermore, it comes amid a growing trend for unionization efforts within the gaming industry, which may influence how studios and developers manage such collaborations going forward.
As MindsEye continues to receive patches intended to fix its many issues, the broader industry watches closely to see if Build A Rocket Boy can recover its reputation and whether IO Interactive will pursue any similar partnerships or stick strictly to in-house development.
