The MindsEye comeback has begun, with developer Build a Rocket Boy seemingly hoping for a Cyberpunk 2077-level redemption story.
Since MindsEye’s disastrous launch last year, BARB has laid off staff and blamed internal saboteurs for its failure. CEO Mark Gerhard has issued claims of corporate sabotage for some time now, but has yet to provide any proof to the public.
Instead, he had teased an update to MindsEye that would shine more of a light on the matter and name/depict the alleged conspirators in-game. Now, that content is here in the form of the Blacklisted update, which released today alongside a permanent price cut for MindsEye. Starting today, MindsEye costs $34.99 for the Standard Edition and $47.99 for the Deluxe Edition.
Today’s update features a new mission where you play as a world-class assassin known as Julia Black. She’s tasked with taking down a network of criminals who are tearing apart a company both internally and externally. Needless to say, the subtext here is on the nose. The mission is quite brief and was initially designed as a crossover with Hitman, before MindsEye publisher IO Interactive pulled out. So, you’ll notice a lot of similarities in how the mission is designed. It’s fairly open-ended, has different targets to take down, and can be completed in under an hour.
Announcing the release of the update, Gerhard noted Blacklist is just the beginning of the future of MindsEye, and insisted BARB plans to “expand” the game down the road.
“Blacklisted marks the first new story campaign for MindsEye since launch, and we’re excited to welcome players back to Redrock City to experience it in a new way,” said Gerhard. “Rather than traditional DLC, Blacklisted is delivered through our user-generated content platform Arcadia, which is built into MindsEye.
“Now is the perfect time to experience MindsEye, with over a year of enhancements, new content, and a more accessible price of entry. We look forward to continuing to expand MindsEye and Arcadia, and seeing what players and creators will accomplish next.”
Arcadia is a secondary mode in MindsEye that provides additional non-story content such as new missions, races, and challenges. Arcadia is also home to the game’s user-generated content tools, allowing players to make their own content within the world of MindsEye.
So far, the Blacklisted update doesn’t appear to have moved the needle much, as MindsEye only has 26 concurrent players on Steam, according to SteamDB. MindsEye is available on console, but neither Sony nor Microsoft make player numbers public.
For those who haven’t kept up, MindsEye is a 2025 action/adventure crime game set in the near future with heavy influences from the likes of Grand Theft Auto. A big reason behind that influence is because MindsEye was shepherded by Leslie Benzies, former boss of Rockstar North who oversaw the Grand Theft Auto series and the original Red Dead Redemption. Following a sabbatical after the release of Grand Theft Auto V, Benzies claimed Rockstar Games pushed him out of the company and took legal action against the studio.
Ultimately, Benzies and Rockstar agreed to a confidential settlement, leading Benzies to open a new game studio known as Build a Rocket Boy. After years of development and a somewhat muted marketing campaign, MindsEye released last summer and was seen as one of the year’s biggest fumbles. The game launched in a horrendous state with comical bugs, mediocre gameplay, and a forgettable story. IGN gave MindsEye a 4/10 in our review, stating it was “high on ambition but low on original ideas.”
Earlier this month, MindsEye staff sued BARB after company bosses reportedly admitted installing secret surveillance software onto employee devices.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
