Leslie Benzies, former producer of Grand Theft Auto, is coming across as more than a little paranoid for blaming MindsEye’s disastrous launch on internal and external “saboteurs.”
According to IGN, the Build a Rocket Boy CEO finally addressed the staff via a brief video call on July 2, where he pinned the blame for both the game’s and the studio’s struggles on alleged sabotage—both from within the team and from outside actors. During the call, Benzies insisted that the studio would recover and relaunch MindsEye, even as he doubled down on the saboteur accusations. This isn’t the first time a company executive made such claims: just before launch, co-CEO Mark Gerhard spoke of coordinated attempts to sabotage the studio and the game.
While there are apparently plans to bring MindsEye back in some form, the current state of affairs is grim. So-called “at-risk” emails were sent to around 300 staff members at Build a Rocket Boy and PlayFusion, the latter of which was acquired by Benzies’ studio at the end of 2024. The situation appears far worse now than a month ago, when initial news of layoffs first broke.
At this point, it’s hard to argue that MindsEye isn’t becoming one of the most spectacular launch failures in gaming history. The warning signs were already there when the studio’s two top executives left just days before release. With the game plagued by bugs, gameplay issues, and now internal turmoil, any relaunch will be an uphill battle. And with more layoffs potentially looming, it remains unclear whether there’s a viable roadmap for recovery at all.
In hindsight, perhaps the conspiracy theories that once dotted earlier GTA entries weren’t so random after all—maybe that was Benzies’ trademark style bleeding through all along…
