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Boom or Bust: Could this new Scottish video game be the next Grand Theft Auto?
A Scottish video game hailed by some as the next Grand Theft Auto is set for a release on Tuesday, but the build-up to its launch has been marred by controversy and lack of clarity.
MindsEye is an ambitious big-budget single-player title developed by Edinburgh-based Build A Rocket Boy studio.
Headed by a former GTA producer, Leslie Benzies, the studio's upcoming maiden title has created a buzz on both the local and international gaming scenes, in no small part due to the scope of ambition they have set out for their game.
But recently the project has been attracting attention for all the wrong reasons.
Last month, a group of journalists and content creators were given access to a limited preview of the game.
Their reaction? Less than positive.
Some of those given access to the preview went as far as to call on the developers to postpone the game and use the time to fix and polish it into a finished product.
The overwhelmingly negative reaction has made the studio double down on confidence in their title, with Build A Rocket Boy's co-CEO, Mark Gerhard, claiming that people are being paid to 'trash the game' before it launches.
'There is a concerted effort by some people that don't want to see Leslie (Benzies) or Build A Rocket Boy to be successful that are making a concerted effort to trash the game and the studio,' Gerhard said.
'It's pretty easy to see the bots and the repeated replies to any content that we put out.'
If the negative reaction, be it genuine or paid for, was not enough for the studio to deal with, two executives have left it just a week before the game's release.
As expected, the departure of their chief legal officer and chief financial officer did nothing to help alleviate the pressure piling up on the studio, with questions popping up about whether they would be leaving if they genuinely believed MindsEye is going to be successful.
And while it's entirely possible their departure has nothing to do with the game's potential fortunes, it only adds wind to the rumour mill that has been with the project for a while.
The lack of clarity seems to stem from a relative radio silence about the project from the get-go.
Before AI became the new buzzword, everyone was talking about the metaverse.
MindsEye was initially described as an 'experience' taking place within one such metaverse, the Everywhere platform that was supposed to rival the likes of Fortnite and Roblox.
Apart from that, very little is known about it, with the platform seemingly falling off the radar while the studio focuses on MindsEye.
However, one cannot say that here, Build A Rocket Boy have done a much better job explaining exactly what the game is really about.
That leaves gamers wondering what it actually is that they may be buying come Tuesday. Build A Rocket Buy Players take on the role of a former soldier, Jacob Diaz.
For the record, MindsEye is billed as a linear, narrative-driven, single-player third-person shooter set in a future where artificial intelligence and human greed bring Earth to the brink of collapse.
From trailers, the game gives an impression of something between Grand Theft Auto V and Cyberpunk 2077, with players taking on the role of a former soldier, Jacob Diaz.
For their part, the studio have never tried to position MindsEye as a GTA competitor, but instead aim to create a unique title, something that has not been seen before.
Whether they have been successful in pitching that to the players is up for debate.
In a recent interview for Leslie Benzies has opened up on their vision for MindsEye and beyond.
One of the key takeaways from it is that the game should act as a gateway into a much larger 'epic universe'.
For the next ten years, the studio plans to evolve the game through regular content updates, ranging from standalone ones, like races, with others serving the larger narrative.
'Once players have experienced the full ten-year arc, they'll understand the shape and scope of the MindsEye universe,' Benzies explained.
User-generated content will also have a big role to play, with players being able to create their own levels, races and missions via tools called and and share them with others.
Those tools were originally part of the aforementioned Everywhere project; what it means for the project itself is unclear, but Benzies insisted that all will become clear 'very soon'.
What's not as clear is why the studio decided to wait until a few weeks before launch to reveal those, arguably crucial, details. Build A Rocket Buy MindsEye is billed as a linear, narrative-driven, single-player third-person shooter.
Unclarity and controversy aside, there is every chance MindsEye will turn out to be a great game.
Those in the industry believe the fact that the title attracted perhaps the most funding out of all the Scottish video game projects ever and the amount of talent working on the game should ensure a high level of quality.
Should MindsEye not be in tip-top shape upon its release, Build A Rocket Buy can take slight comfort in the knowledge that other games, such as Cyberpunk 2077 or No Man's Sky, managed to move past 'disastrous' launches and turn their fortunes around.
A success would undoubtedly mean another boost in prestige for the local video game industry, but should the game prove to be less impressive, those in the sector believe it's robust enough for its reputation not to be damaged.
Players won't have to wait long to decide whether MindsEye is a boom or bust.
The game releases on Tuesday, June 10, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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