MindsEye Was So Bad That IO May Be Done Publishing Other…

IO Interactive has cast doubt on the future of its third-party publishing efforts after the disastrous launch of MindsEye, a game that was once hyped as a potential rival to Grand Theft Auto. MindsEye was the first game published by IOI Partners, the external publishing label of IO Interactive, and seems to have put the subsidiary in jeopardy.

IOI Partners was launched in 2024 as a way for Hitman series developer IO Interactive to expand into game publishing and support other studios. The label's debut publishing project, MindsEye from Scottish developer Build a Rocket Boy, was expected to be a statement of intent. With prominent ex-GTA developer Leslie Benzies helming MindsEye and marketing that positioned it as an ambitious sci-fi shooter with live-service potential, hopes were high that the game would be a breakout hit.

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By LB Beistad

IO Interactive CEO Isn't Happy with MindsEye's Launch

Instead, MindsEye launched in June to scathing reviews and a wave of backlash from players, quickly becoming one of the most notorious failures in recent memory. Critics slammed MindsEye for a middling story, short runtime, and glaring technical issues, and it currently stands as one of the worst-rated games of this console generation. Now, IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak has reflected on MindsEye's commercial performance. Speaking in a recent IGN interview, Abrak admitted the reception was "definitely tough" and not what either IO Interactive or Build a Rocket Boy had hoped for.

While Abrak praised Build a Rocket Boy's creativity surrounding MindsEye, he was noncommittal about the future of IOI Partners, saying only: "IO Interactive will publish our own games internally. IOI Partners? That remains to be seen." The statement is a bit concerning, to say the least, as it implies that IO Interactive is re-evaluating third-party publishing after the calamitous failure that was MindsEye. Publishing and marketing a game can be a pretty expensive endeavor, and in the case of MindsEye, there's no telling how much money IOI Partners may have lost.

So, IO Interactive will publish our own games internally. IOI Partners? That remains to be seen.

It's worth noting, though, that Abrak's words don't quite confirm that IOI Partners will be shuttered. There's a possibility the publishing label may downsize its ambitions and seek out smaller games to publish from fledgling indie developers, which would minimize financial risk on IOI Partners' part and even help bring more innovative games to market. One of the most notable and recent examples of this phenomenon was the Dunkey-published Animal Well, which launched in May 2024 to glowing reviews and immense acclaim from players.

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