MindsEye co-CEO claims there's a 'concerted effort' to trash the game ahead of its release: 'I do KNOW that there are bot farms posting negative comments and dislikes'

With less than two weeks remaining until the June 10 launch of MindsEye, the upcoming action game from former Grand Theft Auto producer Leslie Benzies' Build a Rocket Boy, studio co-CEO Mark Gerhard has stirred up controversy by claiming there's "a concerted effort to trash the game and the studio" being financed by... well, someone.

Gerhard's commentary began on May 27 with a response to a user on the MindsEye Discord (via VG247) who asked if the people who "reacted negatively" to what's been seen of the game so far "were financed by someone."

"100%," Gerhard replied, drawing a handful of joy and fire emoji reactions. "Doesn't take much to guess who."

Unfortunately for those of us not immersed in the scene, it does take a little bit to guess who, in part because there seems to be quite a few potential candidates out there. The response to MindsEye thus far has been somewhat muted, and it's not hard to find criticisms online.

Quite a few followers seem to think Gerhard was pointing the finger at Rockstar, where Benzies spent years working on Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, Red Dead Redemption, LA Noire, and Max Payne 3. Conspiratorially, it fits: It was a big deal when Benzies left Rockstar to do his own thing, and MindsEye certainly looks like a GTA game. But it's been a decade since he parted ways with the studio, and more to the point, does anyone really think Rockstar is worried about MindsEye muscling in on Grand Theft Auto 6 territory?

In any event, Gerhard didn't elaborate on who he believes is behind the conspiracy, but he made it clear he wasn't joking: In response to another message on Discord pointing out that his comments were "absolutely wild," Gerhard wrote, "Not wild when it's true."

As the conversation heated up, Gerhard tried to defuse things a little bit: When asked specifically if he believes "individuals, be it content creators or otherwise, have been paid off to criticize MindsEye," he replied, "No, I never said that," but then added, "I do KNOW that there are bot farms posting negative comments and dislikes."

He said essentially the same thing about YouTuber Cyber Boi, who's posted a handful of videos critical of MindsEye and was present for the Discord conversation.

"I never said Cyber Boi was being paid by anyone," Gerhard wrote. "I just said that there is a concerted effort by some people that don't want to see Leslie or Build a Rocket Boy to be successful that are making a concerted effort to trash the game and the studio. It's pretty easy to see the bots and the repeated replies to any content that we put out."

Look, I know a thing or two about shooting from the hip: It's fun, it's cathartic, it's an easy way to entertain and dismay your friends and coworkers. But I've also learned over the years that it's something you do not do in an official capacity, and if there's any chance that someone might take you more seriously than intended, you clarify things before you leave the room. Gerhard did not do that: Instead, he denied saying "individuals" had been "paid off" to talk trash about MindsEye, even as he also very clearly said such assertions made by others were true.

Did Gerhard get a little carried away while blowing off some pre-release steam? Does he really think there's a shadow-money campaign against MindsEye? Was it all just an ironic meta-joke meant to build on the conspiracy-wracked world of MindsEye? The waters are muddy, and it seems likely they'll stay that way. Build a Rocket Boy and MindsEye publisher IO Interactive declined to comment.