{"id":1225187,"date":"2026-02-24T12:51:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T12:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=606496"},"modified":"2026-02-24T12:51:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T12:51:00","slug":"mindseyes-attempt-at-damage-control-just-made-the-mess-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/mindseyes-attempt-at-damage-control-just-made-the-mess-worse\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindseye\u2019s attempt at damage control just made the mess worse"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When a new game is released, it\u2019s typical for publishers to partner with gaming personalities to promote their game. Mindseye<\/a><\/em>, the debut narrative game by the studio formed by the ex-president of Rockstar North, Leslie Benzies, was no different in this regard \u2014 Twitch streamers teased playthroughs on social media for launch day, June 10. Some of these influencers showcased the game and its high-stakes AI adventure as planned. But as negative reception to the game spread, others were jerked away from their planned livestreams without any heads-up.<\/p>\n

For those who haven\u2019t been keeping up with Mindseye<\/em><\/a>, it\u2019s a third-person shooter that sounds like one part GTA and two parts sci-fi. In it, players try to stop an uprising of sentient robots wielded by the military. While the game isn\u2019t open world, the DNA of Rockstar\u2019s genre-defining blockbuster is evident throughout, from the cinematic-level animations with impressively accurate facial expressions to wacky NPC dialogue, and plenty of driving involving cool fast cars. Except now there\u2019s also drones and microchips.<\/p>\n

However, what began as a promising game with an impeccable pedigree soon devolved into a wreck. Most of what\u2019s floating around regarding Mindseye<\/em> is the weirdness around the launch, hundreds of negative reviews on Steam, and footage of widespread glitches and dull gameplay.<\/p>\n

At the center of this mess are Twitch streamers, who were paid to show the game off. Presumably, many of these influencers were given contracts that stipulate conditions for livestreams. These can be anything from ensuring that specific elements of the game are mentioned to, at worst, preventing the streamer from mentioning negative elements about the game. While we don\u2019t know what the clauses were for sponsored Mindseye<\/em> streams, whatever they said couldn\u2019t prevent streamers from losing composure while talking about the game.<\/p>\n

In one clip that’s gone viral, a livestreamer called DarkViperAu ended his stream by encouraging viewers to check out the game on major storefronts, but with the stilted diction that gave the impression he was either reading from a script or forcing himself to say the words amid laughs. The streamer did not respond to a request for comment. In the full three-hour video<\/a> where he goes through the game, the personality repeatedly grabs his face and wildly gesticulates while trying to make sense of the story and dialogue. There are also plenty of incredulous turns to look straight into the camera, as if he were playing a part in The Office.<\/p>\n

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Sponsored MindsEye streamer can't keep it together when telling viewers where they can buy the game. pic.twitter.com\/kdR3EuGims<\/a><\/p>\n

— AmericanTruckSongs9 (@ethangach) June 11, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Another popular clip is from streamer ExtraEmily, who dies after getting stuck in the game without any recourse.<\/p>\n

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ExtraEmily manages to pull off a Austin Powers in Mindseye \ud83d\udc80\ud83e\udd23 pic.twitter.com\/06up8Ysg32<\/a><\/p>\n

— ExtraEmily Updates (@ExEmUpdates) June 11, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Curiously, despite what was a pre-planned rollout, screenshots of the official Mindseye<\/em> account show it pleading with players not to livestream the game at all,<\/a> despite being available for purchase. Twitch does work with publishers to prevent game leaks by ensuring that high-profile games can only be shared on the platform when they\u2019re released, but preventing people from livestreaming a game that is already out in their territory is unusual, especially when the game in question had such an intense marketing rollout. Ads for the cinematically inclined game have been spotted in movie theaters, which are not typical venues for such promotions. The game also recently debuted a trailer at Summer Game Fest, which is one of the most high-profile events in the industry.<\/p>\n

The plans, it seems, changed. This is most evident through a clip by Twitch streamer CohhCarnage, who began a livestream earlier this week, before being told midway through loading it that he could not continue. “Um\u2026the sponsor just paused the sponsored stream,\u201d he says, incredulously. \u201cSo, uh, first time that’s happened. Yup. Just got contacted, and they wanted to pause the stream.\u201d While he does not name the sponsor and the game never starts, we do see Mindseye<\/em>\u2019s developer, Build A Rocket Boy, named in the terms of use alongside a quote that looks like the Mindseye<\/em> typeset. The text is explicitly about machine learning growing beyond human control, which is the precise plot of the game.<\/p>\n

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