Mindseye- The Biggest Beneficiary of GTA VI's Delay?

Most people expect GTA VI to function like a black-hole in the gaming industry, consuming the majority of games released in close proximity to it. So when its release was delayed to next year, it created a sort of vaccuum.

Rockstar's decision to abandon the 2025 release window opened the door to a few games that might've been especially impact by its release. Likely none would've suffered more than Mindseye, who is now the biggest beneficiary of GTA VI's delay. Here's why.

Build A Rocket Boy- The Team Behind Mindseye

Image via Build A Rocket Boy.

According to their official LinkedIn page, Build A Rocket Boy are a game development studio with 201-500 employees. Youtuber MrMattyPlays mentioned in his preview video that they had between 450 to 500 employees, but he didn't mention how he acquired that information.

Most notably, the team is led by Leslie Benzies, former President of Rockstar North. He worked as a Producer on GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, IV, and V. Additionally, he also worked as Executive Producer for L.A. Noire, Max Payne 3, and Red Dead Redemption, for which he also was a Lead Designer.

Now, as Mindseye's Game Director, Benzies is bringing a lot of GTA DNA to his first game released by Build a Rocket Boy, the studio he founded in 2018.

Mindseye- GTA Similarities?

Images Via Rockstar Games And Build A Rocket Boy.

The first true look we had into Mindseye was through the Official Gameplay Overview Trailer released May 27, two weeks prior to the game's launch. With over 6 mins of footage, mixing gameplay and cutscenes, the similarities to GTA became obvious.

You play as Jacob Diaz, a former special ops soldier. The game is a third person open-world action shooter with a focus on a main narrative. Rockstar's shooting galleries are present, car chases are also here alongside missions in which an NPC is driving the car while you are shooting pursuers that are chasing you.

All of this has been seen in Grand Theft Auto games, and in many others. Using the considerable founding they got their hands on, Build A Rocket Boy studio are aiming for a realistic, high fidelity graphic style that is going to be considerably demanding.

The Differences

Image via Build A Rocket Boy.

Where Mindseye stands out from its GTA DNA is through two points: a futuristic setting and a lawful protagonist. The game is set in Redrock, a "desert metropolis" that seems like a militaristic nightmare. Robots are ubiquitous and most, if not all, electronics are connected to a single artificial intelligence, à lá Skynet.

Jacob Diaz, the protagonist you inhabit, would not be a suitable GTA main character. He is breaking the law, but not for his own benefits. His journey seems more of the hero fighting the oppressive regime, and less of a criminal looking to enlarge his fortune.

Mindseye GTA Online Competitor?

Image via Build A Rocket Boy.

Alongside Mindseye, the game also comes with what the studio is calling Play.Mindseye, and Build.Mindseye. The first is the aforementioned action-adventure single-player campaign. As for the other two:

• Play.Mindseye- "A continuous stream of premium studio-developed content".
• Build.Mindseye- A way to "craft your games".

There is no mention, at least for now, of either of these two systems functioning in multiplayer, but this does seem like a possible future competitor to GTA Online. Build.Mindseye also seems identical to Build A Rocket Boy's other title, Everywhere, which has seemingly disappeared.

With all these being said, the reason why Mindseye is the biggest beneficiary of GTA VI's delay is that, for now, it has little to no competition. The looming shadow of a new GTA is so intimidating that no one invested into making a game in the same vein except for Mindseye, which could've been dead on arrival if GTA VI had managed a 2025 Summer release.

Now, after the delay to May 2026, Mindseye has a little under a year to try to create a foundation sturdy enough to keep their live-service systems alive even after Rockstar's behemoth comes into the scene. Will they succeed?