MindsEye's Hitman crossover canceled as publisher IOI breaks up with the game's developer

2 weeks ago 7

Published Mar 18, 2026, 10:30 AM EDT

Developer Build a Rocket Boy is 'assum[ing] sole publishing responsibilities'

A man shooting a rocket launcher and an explosion in a screenshot from MindsEye

The saga of MindsEye, the glitchy third-person action game that launched last summer, continues. On Tuesday, publisher IOI Partners and developer Build A Rocket Boy announced "the conclusion of their publishing collaboration for MindsEye," according to a news release. This break-up comes just a couple weeks after Build A Rocket Boy went through a round of layoffs that co-CEO Mark Gerhard effectively blamed on a conspiracy.

Once IOI is done transferring publisher status to MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy, the studio "will assume sole publishing responsibilities going forward, ensuring continuity for the MindsEye community and all partners."

IOI washing its hands clean of MindsEye also means the Hitman collaboration with MindsEye is now squashed, unfortunate news for the handful of people who have been playing MindsEye in recent days. (Looks like that major "reset" update didn't move the needle much; Cyberpunk 2077, this is not.) "However, BARB plans on working with partners on other projects in the future," the news release states, so there's a chance Build A Rocket Boy could collaborate with other developers and publishers on future content (if it can find any takers).

Where MindsEye goes next is anyone's guess. It had a disastrous launch, leading to damage control that made the mess even worse. BARB is also "moving toward prosecution" against the "criminal activity" wrought upon the studio at the game's launch, according to Gerhard.

As for IOI, what's next is clear: its James Bond game is coming out on May 27 after it was delayed from a March launch. "[First Light] is about a young man looking for purpose that finds destiny," cinematic and narrative director Martin Emborg told Polygon.

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