Build a Rocket Boy (BARB), the studio led by former "Grand Theft Auto" design director Leslie Benzies, has seen its debut title, "MindsEye," plagued by controversy since its launch. Plagued by poor performance, a surge in player refunds, and subsequent layoffs, the title garnered significant negative attention, with its publisher, IO Interactive's publishing division, IOI Partners, also finding itself embroiled in the controversy. 
IOI CEO Hakan Abrak admitted in an interview with IGN that the results of the partnership were indeed tough to swallow.
"It was tough, right? The reception was really tough. It's not what BARB hoped for, and it's not what we at IOI Partners hoped for," Abrak stated. He noted that BARB is actively working to turn the tide and rebuild player trust, adding, "They have potential, and a lot of content is in development, so hopefully, it will succeed in the future."
Abrak recalled that IOI initially saw potential in "MindsEye"'s concept and world, which led them to assist with its publishing. "We felt their ideas and world were very interesting, so we wanted to help bring the game to more players," he explained. However, the game's development did not unfold as expected, ultimately concluding with disastrous critical reception.
Following its release, BARB issued an apology to players, promising to address performance, bug, and AI issues through a series of patches, with several corrective updates having since gone live. Despite these efforts, the game's future remains uncertain. 
Notably, "MindsEye" was originally conceived as part of the "Everywhere" platform before BARB shifted its focus to developing it as a standalone narrative action-adventure game. This transition, however, evidently did not go as planned. According to sources, Benzies reportedly addressed employees in a brief post-launch talk, stressing that the studio would make a comeback and attributing the failure to "internal and external saboteurs."
Regarding the future direction of IOI Partners, Abrak indicated a focus on publishing their own titles, citing the upcoming "007 First Light" as an example. He stated with reservation, "As for IOI Partners? That remains to be seen," suggesting that this recent collaboration may have made IOI more cautious about future external publishing endeavors.
via： IGN