EN 
DE 
FR 
PT 
So, have you seen the trailer for MindsEye yet?
If you got some serious Grand Theft Auto flashbacks watching it – the slick cars, the crazy explosions, that whole vibe – yeah, us too.
It makes sense. The studio behind it, Build a Rocket Boy (BARB), was founded by Leslie Benzies, the former president of Rockstar North (you know, the GTA legends).
And they’re aiming to bring back something that feels kinda rare these days: a tight, super-polished, linear blockbuster game that feels like playing a movie.
Think about it. After GTA 5 blew up, the whole game world kinda shifted.
Remember When Games Wanted to Be Movies?
- We saw a huge push towards massive open worlds.
- Live service games became the big thing.
- Battle royales took over.
- User-Generated Content (UGC) platforms popped up.
Games like the classic Uncharted series, those almost on-rails action flicks, started feeling less common.
Even the cool single-shot camera trick in 2018’s God of War might not wow people the same way today.
And hey, more variety in games is good!
But maybe, just maybe, we lost a bit of that focused, cinematic magic along the way?
Why MindsEye is Going “Old School” (In a Good Way)
We got the scoop from Adam Whiting, the assistant game director over at BARB (and another Rockstar North alum).
He totally gets why people bring up GTA, but he’s really hyped about bringing back that focused storytelling.
Here’s what he thinks is important:
- Powerful Stories: Games are amazing ways to tell stories you actually feel part of because you’re interacting, not just watching.
- Immersion: You connect differently when you’re in the narrative, making choices, engaging with characters.
- Well-Crafted Experience: Sometimes you just want a game that respects your time. Something with great pacing, tension, character growth, and epic moments, without needing 100+ hours.
- Chill Factor: Perfect for unwinding after a long day – just sit back and enjoy a really solid, well-told story.
Whiting feels the pendulum might have swung too far away from cinematic inspiration.
Getting the “Movie” Look Right
He made a cool point about cameras in games versus movies.
- Film Cameras: Directors are usually limited by where they can physically put a camera. This creates a familiar visual language. When a director does something wild, it stands out because it breaks the norm.
- Game Cameras: You can put a game camera anywhere. Sometimes, Whiting thinks, games go too wild, making things feel a bit “whacky” and losing that grounded, cinematic quality.
“I think games sometimes go too far in the opposite direction,” Whiting said, “and then it kind of loses that… sense of realism, that cinematic quality.”
He added, “People aren’t making games like this anymore. And I don’t know why, because I love them, and I think a lot of people do.”
We feel that! Sometimes you just want that polished, directed experience.
Okay, But Is It Just Like GTA?
Naturally, the comparisons keep coming up.
Crime themes? Check. Guns, cars, choppers? Check. Futuristic American city that looks a lot like LA? Check.
Whiting kinda sidesteps direct comparisons.
He mentioned that when they started MindsEye years ago, themes like:
- AI taking over
- Crazy tech advancements
- Greed and corruption
…felt almost like science fiction. Now? They feel pretty real.
He sees them as “universal stories” that are just interesting to explore right now.
Why Always Set Games in America?
It’s interesting how many UK studios (like Rockstar North and now BARB) make games reflecting US culture. Why is that?
Whiting’s take:
- Outsider Perspective: “Sometimes, if you’re inside something… you can’t take it all in. But from an outsider looking at something, you can kind of see the whole thing.” Makes sense, right?
- Rich Fodder: He loves American culture and thinks the US is often at the forefront of tech and cultural shifts, making it a great setting for telling “interesting, slightly abstract stories.”
He was clear though: “It’s a really wonderful country full of wonderful people.”
What’s the Deal with “Everywhere”?
You might remember BARB is also working on Everywhere.
That’s their ambitious metaverse-style platform where players can create their own stuff (UGC), maybe even remix MindsEye missions using developer assets.
It sounds wild – combining this super-focused, linear game (MindsEye) with a wide-open, democratic creation platform (Everywhere).
Whiting confirmed Everywhere is still very much alive, but details are scarce. “We’ll be talking about that in more detail soon,” he teased.
Final Thoughts: Ready for a Blockbuster?
So, the bottom line?
MindsEye looks set to be a deliberate throwback to tightly-scripted, high-production-value, cinematic action games.
In a world of endless open worlds, maybe a focused, 15-hour-ish blockbuster is exactly what we need.
We’re definitely keeping an eye on this one. It’s cool to see developers passionate about bringing back this style of game.
Could MindsEye deliver that epic, playable movie experience we’ve been missing? We hope so!
Quick FAQs
Q: What exactly is MindsEye?
A: It’s a new, linear, story-driven action game from Build a Rocket Boy, a studio founded by ex-Rockstar North developers. Think high-octane, cinematic gameplay.
Q: Is it basically just GTA 6 before GTA 6?
A: While it shares some themes (crime, cars, American city) and developer DNA with GTA, the team emphasizes its focus on a tight, linear narrative rather than a massive open world. It’s its own thing.
Q: Is MindsEye an open-world game?
A: No. The developers describe it as fundamentally linear, though they’ve mentioned a “faux open world” feel sometimes. It’s focused on telling a specific story, estimated to be around 15 hours long.
Q: How does this relate to “Everywhere”?
A: MindsEye is planned to be one of the experiences available within Everywhere, BARB’s larger platform that will also feature user-generated content (UGC). Details on how they integrate are still coming.
Q: When is MindsEye coming out?
A: The latest trailer announced a “midsummer 2025” release window.