From what we've seen from Mindseye so far, it seems like a cross between Watch Dogs, Cyberpunk, and a little GTA 5, especially the weapon wheel. The debut release from Build a Rocket Boy, the studio helmed by former Rockstar, Grand Theft Auto, and Red Dead Redemption producer Leslie Benzies, Mindseye is also a spiritual offshoot from the larger-scale multiplayer game and creation platform Everywhere. What you might have heard so far is that the central Mindseye campaign is around 15 to 20 hours long. However, speaking to PCGamesN as part of Summer Game Fest, the sandbox shooter's assistant director explains that Mindseye will actually be launched with a lot more playable material.
The central, single-player story of sandbox games more broadly. But Build a Rocket Boy says the main story is more linear and tightly crafted; while Grand Theft Auto 5 and even Cyberpunk 2077 perhaps provide some visual or mechanical inspiration, Mindseye's central mode is comparatively contained.
But that main campaign isn't all that you get on launch day. Mindseye is connected to Play.Mindseye, a dedicated platform where Build a Rocket Boy can and share additional material like new side missions, races, and in-game challenges. Speaking to PCGamesN at Summer Game Fest, assistant director Adam Whiting explains how this expands the sheer size of Mindseye considerably.
"We've got a story that's really tightly crafted," Whiting says, "but you can keep coming back for more. We've got an additional 45 hours of content at launch through Play.Mindseye, and every few weeks we're adding more and more. This is really powerful for us as a studio. It means we can keep people engaged, but also that we can understand what type of gameplay people enjoy the most and give them exactly that, and more of that."
Whiting also shares more on Build.Mindseye, the tool system that allows players to make and share their own in-game material. Although we won't see its potential until it's out in the wild and players are experimenting with it in earnest, Build.Mindseye is designed to give people the same functionality as Build a Rocket Boy's own developers.
"The version of Build that you get in the main game is the version we use internally," Whiting continues. "There's a very sophisticated logic function that players can use to build their own gameplay systems and own gameplay styles. Any third-person gameplay you've ever seen, you could probably build some variation of that in the tools already. We anticipate players will exceed our expectations when we get these tools in the hands of the masses.
"Initially it's going to be like 'have fun with it, be creative.' But eventually we do want to add monetization for players who really spend time building something special - we want them to have an opportunity to monetize that. We've got really exciting ways for people to leverage community content."
This is the broader ambition of both Mindseye and Everywhere. Build a Rocket Boy wants to develop a community-driven creation and sharing platform which, in Whiting's words, will be dedicated to "democratizing game development."
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Additional reporting from Summer Game Fest by Jamie Hore.