It is not unheard of for an executive to leave a studio. What is unusual, however, is the timing of the exit. Two executives at Build a Rocket Boy, the studio behind the upcoming Mindseye game, have parted ways with the studio just a week before the game’s launch.
Former Chief Legal Officer Riley Graebner announced his departure from Mindseye developer on LinkedIn. The post eulogized his accomplishments at the studio without giving a hint at the reason for his departure.
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“After three and a half years, my time at BARB has come to a close. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Graebner wrote. “During that time, we more than doubled the size of the company to over 450 employees. We launched multiple products worldwide. We built the legal team and legal ops infrastructure from the ground up, working to systemize and automate.”
Paul Bland, who also worked at Build a Rocket Boy as Chief Financial Officer, appears to have also departed the studio this June. His LinkedIn profile has been updated to show that his time with the studio lasted from June 2023 to June 2025.
The exit of the two executives just days ahead of the Mindseye launch has raised a lot of questions about the fate of the upcoming game.
Active negative campaign against the Mindseye game?
Last week, it was reported that Build a Rocket Boy co-CEO Mark Gerhard alleged that some people were paid to be negative towards their upcoming game. Gerhard made the comment on the game’s Discord server.
He was asked if he believes “all the people who reacted negatively [towards Mindseye] were financed by someone”. In response, he said “100 percent”. When more questions and concerns were thrown, Gerhard posted a lengthy message.
“I just said that there is a concerted effort by some people that don’t want to see Leslie or Build A Rocket Boy to be successful that are making a concerted effort to trash the game and the studio. It’s pretty easy to see the bots and the repeated replies to any content that we put out.”
An X user, Synth Potato, has put together a list of some of the negative responses towards Mindseye, alleged to be coming from people who have played the game. Some of the issues highlighted include the game being riddled with bugs and driving feeling “stiff”.
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Mindseye director, Leslie Benzies, who was formerly the producer of the GTA franchise, describes the game as “a narrative-driven, single-player action-adventure thriller set in the near-future fictional desert city of Redrock”.
The game will feature best-in-class cinematics, high-octane driving, and explosive combat. According to Benzies, the story can be completed in around 20 hours. However, the studio plans to add content to the game post-launch, including a multiplayer mode.
From the trailers you have seen, is your perception of Mindseye negative or positive? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
