BARB: Split With The Creators Of HITMAN, The Search For Those Responsible For MindsEye Failure, And Leslie Benzies On The Epstein Files

A month and a half of 2026 has already passed, and it might have seemed like it was time to forget about Build A Rocket Boy and its MindsEye. But the creators of what may have been last year’s worst video game are not letting the public move on so easily.

Split With The Creators Of HITMAN

In early February, BARB announced that its partnership with IO Interactive had come to an end. One might assume that after the failure of MindsEye and the surrounding scandals (one, two and below), the Danish studio decided to distance itself — but that does not appear to be the case. It seems the decision came from the other side, as BARB intends to focus on improving and fixing its own product. So far, MindsEye has received its seventh update, bringing a variety of fixes.

This means the previously announced collaboration missions with the HITMAN franchise, revealed last summer, will no longer happen. The latest trailer has also had the former partner’s logo removed.

The Search For Those Responsible For MindsEye Failure

Details have also emerged about an internal meeting held in late January by co-CEO Mark Gerhard. During the meeting, the executive spoke about alleged sabotage that supposedly took place during MindsEye development. According to him, a “very big American company” — but “it’s probably not the company you’re thinking of” (not Rockstar Games) — allegedly paid more than €1 million to the British agency Ritual Network, which manages influencers, in order to undermine the game’s release. The agency denies the accusations. Gerhard claimed that several bloggers, three journalists, and even employees of Build A Rocket Boy were involved.

BARB management now intends to sue everyone allegedly connected to the scheme. A company representative told journalists they possess evidence of unlawful activity — reportedly gathered from employees’ computers. It was revealed that monitoring software called Teramind had been installed, designed to track user activity. The awkward detail is that employees were not aware their workstations were being monitored in this way. The software may reportedly be removed within the next three months.

Before any legal action begins, however, the developers are planning a highly unconventional move: publicly naming the alleged “saboteurs” through a new in-game spy mission. The mission will reportedly identify those who intended to “damage the reputation of Build A Rocket Boy and MindsEye”. It may take the form of a contract-style assassination mission reminiscent of HITMAN, potentially repurposed from the canceled crossover content. Using the real names of individuals as targets could prove controversial.

Leslie Benzies: Comment On The Epstein Files And His Vacation

What about Leslie Benzies, BARB founder? Recently, he denied rumors linking him to the infamous Jeffrey Epstein. Benzies confirmed that he had known one of the victims and dated her, but stated that he had never met Epstein nor had any association with him. In fact, the files themselves contained no information suggesting otherwise — Benzies was mentioned only in connection with Sarah Ransome.

These allegations are false, I had a 3 months consensual relationship with this person, and I have never met Jeffrey Epstein, nor have I ever visited his island, his properties or travelled on his plane. Any suggestion otherwise is misleading.

So why has he remained silent about the current state of his own company? As previously announced, the ex-head of Rockstar North and producer of Grand Theft Auto is currently on a “short planned vacation”, though he remains co-CEO.

Comments: