IO Interactive, the studio behind Hitman, has ended its publishing collaboration for the 2025 title MindsEye. Build a Rocket Boy will move forward as a self-publishing company.
MindsEye Studio Build a Rocket Boy Shifts to Self-Publishing After Split
Build a Rocket Boy's Hitman DLC Canned
MindsEye’s upcoming Hitman crossover DLC will no longer move forward, following IO Interactive’s ending of its publishing partnership with Build a Rocket Boy, the studio behind the critically panned title.
In a press release by the UK gaming business site Bastion, it announced that IO Interactive and Build a Rocket Boy will conclude their partnership effective March 16, 2026. From now on, the MindsEye studio will take on "sole publishing responsibilities going forward."
Considered one of 2025’s more notorious releases, MindsEye drew widespread controversy and negative feedback from both players and critics due to its unpolished state on release. In our Game8 review, we described it as "bad for the eyes, even worse for the mind," awarding it a "Poor" score of 46/100 and calling it "bug-filled, unoptimized, and less than desirable."
Following its disastrous launch, the studio has laid off over 100 employees from its total staff of 300-500, with more layoffs in March 2026, as Build a Rocket Boy CEO Mark Gerhard alleges "corporate sabotage" within the studio.
Gerhard announced on LinkedIn that there is an update on the reported "organized sabotage" that affected MindsEye’s troubled release, an issue previously raised by studio founder Leslie Benzies. The update claims the studio has "overwhelming evidence" and is moving toward prosecution.
MindsEye has since bounced back from its early negative press, with Build a Rocket Boy continuing to release updates to improve the overall experience through performance patches. The game now holds a "Mostly Positive" rating on Steam and has built a loyal player base drawn to its GTA-like sandbox gameplay, as well as its extensive content creation tools that allow users to build and share their own levels. Its latest patch on February 4, 2026, focused on improving the campaign’s overall flow, making objectives easy to follow and refining the game’s AI behavior.
MindsEye is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Check out more MindsEye content at the link below.
Sources:
IO Interactive Ends Partnership with Build a Rocket Boy in a Press Release
Official LinkedIn Post by CEO Mark Gehrard
MindsEye Latest Patch Optimizes Game
