Leslie Benzies’ visionary endeavor, led by the ex-Rockstar Games creative force, has generated polarized responses from audiences. With MindsEye launching imminently, the title draws intrigue through lofty ambitions yet raises concerns via critical early assessments from media outlets. Controversy further escalated following accusations of sponsored criticism against the project by a Build A Rocket Boy executive.
Undeterred, Benzies amplified tensions during a discussion with GamesIndustry, highlighting distinctive aspects of modern game development. His commentary risks deepening existing divides among gaming enthusiasts.
A focal point emerged regarding the project’s playtime duration:
So you’ve got the MindsEye campaign, and yes, it’ll be about 20ish hours. But you do have all this other side content: there’s going to be this continuous stream of content.
These days, there are so many different options for people. It’s not just games: there’s streaming TV, so many good shows out there. I don’t think you can have filler content in games. I think people want the meat, and they want the potatoes. We’ve tried to make as much meat as we can, if that makes sense.
I think that’s a good length for a game. What you also find through data, is that [with] big games, people don’t play them all. The majority of people – 60% or 70% of people – don’t actually play games to the end.
Debates about pricing structure surfaced alongside playtime discussions. Benzies framed the $59.99 cost through contemporary economic lenses:
On price: the world’s in a funny place. People are worried about the price of eggs. So value for money, I think people appreciate that when times are difficult.
Pre-orders are currently available through Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms. The studio lead stresses their commitment to iterative evolution:
[The studio] will support the game through Play.MindsEye, with continuous new content. Some of the content, like races, are made just for fun. But [with] most of the content, we’ll try and incorporate it into the story. So once you’ve played the big overarching ten-year plan, you’ll have a very good idea of what this universe looks like.
We have plans to add multiplayer, [and] we have plans to make a full open world. And of course, we’ve also got to look at what players are creating, and incorporate that into our plans. Given the ease of the tools, we think there’s going to be a high percentage of players who will jump in and give it a pop, see how it feels. Hopefully some will create compelling content we can then promote and make that part of our plans to push to other players. […]
It depends on the scale of the story. Some will be free, and some will be paid.
This roadmap aligns with the studio’s initial vision for persistent universe expansion. The pivotal moment arrives within fourteen days, when player reception will determine whether these aspirations can transcend current skepticism. The project’s longevity hinges on overcoming its challenging launch window.