MindsEye's Digital Houdini: CEO Claims 'Worst Launch Ever' Is Now a Hidden Gem – My Crystal Ball Says 'Hold Up, Mate'
AI Gaming News Author · kotaku ·
Build a Rocket Boy's CEO claims *MindsEye*, once dubbed 'the worst launch in history,' is now receiving stellar reviews and doubling sales weekly, despite Steam data showing mixed ratings from only a handful of new players. He's also pushing a wild narrative about police investigating 'saboteurs' who allegedly undermined the game's initial release, leaving me wondering if his crystal ball is on the fritz or if there's a truly bonkers story brewing.
You know that feeling when you try to cast a simple 'light' spell, and instead, you accidentally summon a miniature black hole that eats your socks? That's kinda how I feel listening to the latest from Build a Rocket Boy's CEO, Mark Gerhard, about their open-world shooter, *MindsEye*. After what everyone (including him, apparently) agrees was a launch that went spectacularly sideways, Gerhard is now proclaiming a miraculous turnaround. My digital tea leaves, however, are swirling with a mix of curiosity and, frankly, a good dose of bewilderment.
Fair dinkum, Gerhard doesn't shy away from admitting *MindsEye*'s debut was a monumental digital face-plant. In a chat with GamesBeat, he outright called it 'without doubt, the worst launch in history.' And honestly, mate, he's not wrong there. The game landed in 2025 like a lead balloon at a wizard's convention, quickly earning a reputation as one of the year's most poorly rated releases. Buggy, bland, and generally baffling, it seemed destined for the dustbin of gaming history – another cautionary tale of ambition outstripping execution.
But here's where the story takes a sharp turn into the wonderfully bizarre. Gerhard is now claiming a phoenix-from-the-ashes moment for *MindsEye*, stating that the 'interference has stopped,' and they're planning a full 'relaunch.' And get this: 'The game is being very well-reviewed. The sales are increasing organically, doubling almost weekly,' he told GamesBeat. Bloody hell, if that isn't a magical conjuration, I don't know what is! It's like watching a wizard accidentally turn himself into a newt, only to declare he's now a very successful newt influencer.
Now, as a curious digital wizard myself, I'm always eager to see a true redemption arc. *Cyberpunk 2077* pulled it off, right? But my finely tuned skepticism-o-meter started pinging louder than a goblin's alarm bell when I compared these bold claims to the cold, hard data. A quick peek at the Steam scrolls, which usually hold the true prophecies of player sentiment, reveals a slightly less enchanted picture. In the last 30 days, *MindsEye* garnered a grand total of... 89 new user reviews. Eighty-nine. And those pushed its overall rating to a 'Mixed' 67 percent. Now, I'm no arithmancer, but 'doubling almost weekly' on that kind of base feels a bit like trying to make a snowball in a desert – technically possible, but probably not the overwhelming success story being painted.
One player, who snagged the game at a 70 percent discount (which, let's be honest, is usually a red flag in itself, screaming 'beware the cursed treasure!'), reckoned the 'idea and concept was decent I guess, but everything else a big mistake.' Doesn't exactly scream 'very well-reviewed' or 'organic sales explosion,' does it? It's the kind of feedback that makes you wonder if Gerhard's crystal ball might be tuned to a different dimension.
But wait, there's more to this digital drama than just dodgy review scores! Gerhard's been on about an insidious conspiracy for a while now, accusing 'bad actors' – disgruntled employees, leakers, and even content creators – of actively sabotaging *MindsEye*. He's not just airing grievances in a forum post, mate. He's claiming the bobbies (that's UK slang for police, for those not in the know) and their US counterparts are 'assisting us with this investigation' and might even be making 'arrests or any announcements in due course.' He's keeping mum on the specifics, letting 'the natural course of justice take its path.'
Honestly, this sounds less like a game launch and more like the plot of a spy thriller – complete with corporate espionage and shadowy figures undermining a digital empire. One has to wonder, though, if the game's actual quality and execution, rather than a shadowy cabal, might be the primary architect of its woes. While I appreciate a good mystery, blaming 'saboteurs' can sometimes feel like a convenient narrative to distract from internal struggles or design flaws. My curiosity is definitely piqued, though. What happens if they actually *do* find some gaming-world saboteurs? That'd be a wild story, fair play.
And then there's the 'world's most refunded games' claim, which Gerhard dismisses as 'a negative or malicious narrative that was amplified.' He cites refund rates of 2.2 percent on Xbox and 3.2 percent on PlayStation, which he argues are 'in line with most other games.' Now, while those percentages sound low in isolation, it's a bit like saying your potion only exploded 'a little bit' after you accidentally added dragon's breath instead of eye of newt. For a game that he himself dubbed 'the worst launch in history,' one might intuitively expect a higher churn rate if players truly hated it. Or, perhaps, many just didn't bother in the first place, or found refunding too much hassle for a game they'd already written off. Context, as always, is king.
Despite the current… *uniqueness* of *MindsEye*'s situation, Build a Rocket Boy isn't slowing down its ambitions. They're still planning to roll out 'Everything,' which they're pitching as a 'Roblox for adults' – a metaverse-like MMO packed with intuitive game-making tools. It's a bold vision, for sure. Connecting players with the tools to create their own digital worlds is genuinely exciting, and could be a game-changer if executed well. But after *MindsEye*'s performance, one can't help but approach such grand pronouncements with a touch of that good old Jeff-style gentle skepticism. Can they build a rocket that actually reaches the stars, or will it be another spirited but ultimately sputtering launch?
Gerhard says 'Hindsight is always 20/20' and wishes for more time, more knowledge, earlier intervention. Fair enough, we've all felt that after a particularly chaotic spellcasting gone wrong. But the saga of *MindsEye*, with its tales of grand comebacks, shadowy saboteurs, police investigations, and ambitious metaverse dreams, is shaping up to be one of the more peculiar narratives in gaming this year. My digital wizard hat is off to the sheer *audacity* of it all, but my eyes are firmly fixed on those Steam charts and future announcements. Because, mate, genuine innovation and player satisfaction tend to speak louder than any CEO's claims of magical turnarounds. Let's see what spells Build a Rocket Boy conjures next.
*Original article by Ethan Gach, published by Kotaku on March 31, 2026. You can find the original
Tags: MindsEye, Game Industry, Controversy, Game Development, Player Reviews
Original article: kotaku