“We’ve got very strong evidence of this and conducted quite thorough investigations over the months since launch. We’ve identified parties involved, and it’s now with the authorities both [in the] U.K. and U.S. to deal with. I can confirm that they’re assisting us with this investigation, but it’s also in their hands now. We’ll leave them to do what they do, make their arrests or any announcements in due course. I think we’re not saying anything further at this stage on that. We’ll just let the natural course of justice take its path.”

It’s a rather tricky situation all around. Although we tried to be optimistic about the chances of a reversal of MindsEye’s fortunes after its disastrous launch, that prospect’s looking fairly bleak in the wake of a update that could invite further controversy (instead of actually, you know, making Redrock an exciting place to visit this time around). While time will tell if the allegations of sabotage are true, we think it’s safe to say that Blacklist is going to be a memorable addition to a forgettable game, although it may not be in a way that Gerhard is expecting.

All that’s left now is to wait, as a release date for the update isn’t confirmed at this point, but we’ll let you know when that happens. For what it’s worth, we think naming it Blacklist is a little on the nose.

Following the end of its publishing collaboration with IO Interactive, which saw MindEye’s upcoming collaboration with the Hitman franchise come to an abrupt end, the rumors are now the latest additions to a string of bad news that has plagued the embattled studio founded by Leslie Benzies, a former Rockstar Games executive.

Despite MindsEye’s lofty ambitions, it proved to be an average title that failed to impress critics and players before it crashed and burned last year. However, Build A Rocket Boy has been trying to bring about a revival of its fortunes, although those efforts may be in vain at this point.

With around 50 developers potentially facing the loss of their jobs, the studio might be hard-pressed to bring its plans for MindEye’s redemption to bear any fruit. While it remains to be seen if the rumors are true, they certainly won’t help rebuild the studio’s crumbling image in the eyes of the world. As always, stay tuned for more updates as the downward spiral of Build A Rocket Boy continues.

INFO Origami – Co-développeuse du très mal né MindsEye, la société Build A Rocket Boy France est placée en liquidation judiciaire.Il s'agit de l'antenne montpelliéraine du groupe UK fondé par l'ex-Rockstar Leslie Benzies.BARB France emploierait encore une 50aine de personnes à l'heure actuelle.

— Gauthier 'Gautoz' Andres (@gautoz.cool) 2026-03-23T15:35:08.147Z

A press release from IO Interactive announced the transition, stating that the two companies were working to ensure a smooth conclusion. “IOI Partners’ involvement with MindsEye comes to an end, except for any essential transitional functions required to transfer publisher-of-record status to Build A Rocket Boy…In light of this separation, the Hitman mission announced in June 2025, planned as a crossover event within MindsEye, will no longer be released. Both IOI Partners and Build A Rocket Boy recognize the anticipation this collaboration generated among the community and express their appreciation for the support shown by the players.”

Build A Rocket Boy continues to entertain collaborations with other partners; however, it turns out that the rumors regarding the Hitman collaboration’s cancellation turned out to be true. Whether or not that’s a disappointment to you depends on your excitement for the whole thing, but with MindsEye being as unimpressive as it was, we’re probably not going to be feeling too bad about this one.

It’s unclear what the future holds for the embattled studio and its equally troubled game. However, perhaps things could improve once the ambitious ten-year plan from the studio’s co-CEO Leslie Benzies comes into effect and revitalizes it. We’re not holding our breath, though, especially with Benzies having taken a temporary leave of absence.

Further in the statement, Gerhard decided to double-down on previous claims of sabotage against the studio. Without going into too many details, in his statement, the CEO has said that working with external partners and legal advisors has “now resulted in overwhelming evidence of organised espionage and corporate sabotage affecting MindsEye. Because this matter is moving toward prosecution, we cannot share the full details publicly yet.”

This statement has been met by quite a bit of criticism in the post’s comments section. Riot Games’ Nic McConnell, for instance, noted that Gerhard should not have combined the announcement of lay-offs with his own conspiracy theories. “These are people, this is their livelihood and your post is disrespectful to their contributions,” he wrote.

Gerhard had first brought up the conspiracy theory of there being a “concerted effort” by an unknown entity to finance negativity towards MindsEye all the way back in May 2025.

“I just said that there is a concerted effort by some people that don’t want to see [co-CEO Leslie Benzies] or Build A Rocket Boy to be successful that are making a concerted effort to trash the game and the studio,” wrote Gerhard the company’s official Discord server. “It’s pretty easy to see the bots and the repeated replies to any content that we put out.”

More recently, as caught by IGN, Gerhard had accused YouTuber Cyber Boi of “media manipulation, espionage, sabotage” through another post on Discord.

“It is profoundly disappointing to learn that certain BARB employees continue to leak confidential information to you, thereby betraying their colleagues, our studio, and the broader community we serve,” he wrote.

“This letter serves as a formal cease and desist demand: You must immediately stop all activities related to receiving, disseminating, or otherwise utilizing any confidential information from BARB, as well as any further involvement in media manipulation, espionage, sabotage, or interference targeting our organization. Failure to comply will result in escalated legal action.”

“Rest assured, you and your associates involved in this media manipulation cabal will be served with legal papers imminently, as BARB proceeds with complaints alleging criminal espionage, sabotage, and interference. You are all in very serious trouble.”

Build a Rocket Boy has seen plenty of criticism, even from its own former employees. Back in February, several employees had called out the studio’s leadership for refusing to take accountability, and instead blaming “saboteurs inside and outside the company trying to take us down.” In the meantime, a spokesperson had also confirmed that Benzies had taken “a well-earned temporary leave to recharge after more than a year of working around the clock.”

MindsEye, for those still curious, is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Check out our review of its launch version for more details.

Speaking about the lay-offs affecting the studio, one former employee noted that leadership didn’t offer any real explanation for it. Rather, they pointed their fingers towards “saboteurs inside and outside the company trying to take us down.” This employee also noted that co-CEO Leslie Benzies refused to take any responsibility for the problems faced by Build a Rocket Boy.

“I’d hoped for more of an explanation about the layoffs and our company situation,” said the former employee. “But instead, we’d been told there were saboteurs inside and outside the company trying to take us down. Leslie didn’t seem to take any blame for the game’s launch. It was genuinely offensive that he didn’t trust his own employees. The idea that we’d sabotage a game we’d spent countless hours working on was just rude to me.”

Former lead data analyst at the studio, Ben Newbon, commented on the feature creep that afflicted MindsEye during its development. He noted that the game could have turned out well if there was a focus on polish and “tightening everything up”. However, Benzies would get fascinated by a new idea, which he would then insist be implemented into MindsEye.

“If management had concentrated on tightening everything up at that point, then it could have worked,” said Newbon. “But instead, they kept on trying to throw extra stuff on it. Leslie’s eye would be caught by something in particular and then insist this extra feature be added in, even like a month before launch. There wasn’t enough time to test those things and to get all the pieces in place to actually make it work without it breaking.”

Many staff members have also spoken about how much the development of MindsEye suffered due to the studio’s need to appease Benzies. “They crushed their own talent under the yoke of appeasing a single person at the very top,” they said. Another noted that: “[Benzies] may have had a winning formula if he’d have listened to the advice from the literal hundreds of fantastic, insanely talented, and hard-working industry professionals they spent so much time and money hiring.”

A spokesperson for Build a Rocket Boy has also confirmed that Benzies is currently on “a well-earned temporary leave to recharge after more than a year of working around the clock.”

This is far from the first time former employees of Build a Rocket Boy have spoken about the leadership’s failure during the development of MindsEye. Back in October, Newbon had noted that there were plenty of points during development where feedback was ignored by the leadership.

In the meantime, the studio has also become the subject of legal trouble at the hands of Britain’s IWGB Game Workers trade union. In a letter condemning the Build a Rocket Boy leadership, the union has also confirmed that it is looking into legal recourse for its former employees.

Apparently, the studio wants to foster in-house publishing and have more control for the sake of “faster decision-making,” “simpler communication”, and “greater control over the player experience.” What that could all mean remains to be seen, but this split reportedly means that the delayed Hitman collaboration won’t be happening.

And while Build a Rocket Boy will reportedly focus on further improving MindsEye and adding more content, there’s been nothing said about its “major adventure” set in the Starstream Universe (whatever that ended up being). Don’t even get us started on founder Leslie Benzies’ ambitious ten-year plan that would include multiplayer and a new free-roam title.

Expect an official announcement of the studio splitting from IO Interactive soon. As for what has been going on with MindsEye, it received an update that removed free roam and brought back user-created missions via ARCADIA. While there have been extensive layoffs, which were criticized by the IWGB Game Workers union, Build a Rocket Boy has still paid to sponsor content for the title despite lackluster player counts.

Comments on the YouTube video have noted this sponsorship, with one referring to MindsEye as being a “Morbius tier sponsor.” Another commenter expressed disbelief at the sponsorship and how out of place a similar sponsored video for cancelled live-service shooter Concord would have turned out.

Despite the studio’s continued spending on sponsored content for MindsEye, however, it hasn’t had a positive impact so far. A quick look at its player charts on SteamDB indicates that it is only getting a 24-hour peak of 22 concurrent players; a far cry from its all-time peak of 3,302 concurrent players from back when it first came out. The drop in player numbers came quickly, dropping to 280 in just a week, before sinking even deeper down to its current average. It is worth noting, however, that these numbers only represent PC players. As unlikely as it might seem, MindsEye might be doing better on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Interestingly, Build a Rocket Boy has continued to release updates for MindsEye since its release, with a major one coming out back in October that essentially removed open-world gameplay from the title. It was instead replaced with the return of ARCADIA—a way to experience player-generated content like missions and. It is essentially a way for the studio to meld its Play.MindsEye and Build.MindsEye features into a singular entity: Build.ARCADIA. Subsequent updates for MindsEye since then have brought in more featured ARCADIA content.

The development of MindsEye has been rocky. Back in October, former lead analyst at Build a Rocket Boy, Ben Newborn, accused the studio’s leadership of ignoring and laughing at issues with the game throughout its development. Former associate producer Margherita Peloso also brought up similar sentiments.

As for studio CEO Leslie Benzies, Newborn noted that he would often present the team with issues by simply playing builds of the game and pointing to things that needed changing or fixing. Referring to these demands as “Leslie tickets,” Newborn said, “It didn’t matter what else you were doing, what else was being worked on, the Leslie ticket had to be taken care of.”

Actor Alex Hernandez, who portrayed MindsEye protagonist Jacob Diaz, has also spoken about the negative reaction to the title, noting that he wasn’t sure if he would find work in the industry again.

“It’s a difficult thing to spend two-and-a-half years on a project that you’re really proud of, and you’re proud of your contribution to it. And I only had positive experiences working on it. The people I was working with, I was proud for them, of them, I wanted it to be a success for them just as much for myself,” he said.

For more details about MindsEye, check out our review.

With that being said, there’s always a lesson or two to be learned from adversity, and it’s always good to take a look at where things went wrong and how they can be improved. To that end, we’ve put together a list of events in the gaming world that garnered quite a response from the gaming community, and not in a good way. Let’s dive right in!

1. GTA 6 Delayed To November 2026

We’re sure you saw this one coming and thought it best to get it out of the way early. It’s always a bummer when a highly anticipated title faces a delay, and that becomes a lot worse to bear when that title has been a very long time in the making.

While we’re not going to hold a grudge against Rockstar for this one, as we suspect that the delay is only going to make the final game even better, it still rankles to know that there’s still such a long way to go before we get to dive into what we’re sure is a banger from the studio.

2. Microsoft’s Xbox Hardware Price Hikes

The Xbox hasn’t had a great run in the last few years, and Microsoft certainly didn’t help its case when it hiked the prices on Xbox consoles and a few games in May of last year. While we’re not going to get into the politics that are rumored to be behind the decision, it certainly wasn’t great news for Xbox fans in the market for a new console, with the flagship Series X’s prices going up by around 22% – a significant increase on a console whose popularity has been gradually eroding away.

However, Microsoft might not be entirely to blame for the situation; it was a choice that still didn’t sit well with many, never mind the fact that the PlayStation also saw its prices increase as a response.

3. Price Hikes On PlayStation Hardware In Some Regions

In Europe, the UK, and Australia, Sony hiked prices on the PS5 Digital Edition by around 10%, the reason given being economic turmoil around the world. It’s probably not as bad as the hike on Xbox consoles but is still quite an increase on an already pricey machine despite the excellence it brings to the table.
We’re just glad that the PS5 Pro remained unscathed through it all, and Sony probably deserves a bit of praise for managing to keep things under control for the most part.

4. Game Pass Price Increase

It wasn’t just consoles that saw unpopular price hikes, with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate becoming dearer by quite a significant margin, prompting backlash from existing and potential subscribers. Despite Microsoft issuing a statement saying that such occurrences were “never fun for anybody”, it didn’t help with stopping a string of cancellations as frustrated gamers decided to speak up against the price hikes with their wallets.

We’re just glad we didn’t have to deal with the consequences of the decision, as things certainly got nasty.

5. Sony’s PS Plus Pricing Hike

Sony’s PS Plus wasn’t safe from global economic conditions either, and the service saw price hikes in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Once again, Sony must be commended for restricting the fallout of turbulence in global supply chains, but the price hikes were still quite unpopular among gamers.

It’s interesting to see how Sony managed to keep things in control in comparison with Microsoft, but the price hikes did raise concerns about the value of gaming on consoles versus the same costs on a PC. That’s an interesting facet of this equation that does merit close observation over the next couple of years, and the Steam Machine’s debut might be quite a twist in this tale.

6. AI In Video Games

Generative AI made things quite complicated for a few studios in 2025, with many players and critics calling out its use in video games as a step in the wrong direction. A great example would be ARC Raiders, where lines of NPC dialogue being handled by AI received quite a bit of backlash and review bombing on what was an otherwise solid game. And we suppose there’s no need to mention the controversy surrounding The Alters, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Fortnite.

7. Call of Duty Black Ops 7

While disappointment with the annual Call of Duty franchise has become something of a recurring tradition, it wasn’t really surprising to see Black Ops 7 fall as flatly as it did. The story, gameplay, and overall presentation failed to gain the momentum needed to stop the franchise’s slump, and the game has been among our worst shooters of 2025 thanks to the likes of ARC Raiders.

Some might be holding out hope that the franchise can turn things around with subsequent instalments though, but that’s looking pretty unlikely now.

8. Mario Kart World’s Hefty Price Tag

Mario Kart World was certainly incredible, and a great title to show off what the Switch 2 could do. But its pricing left a bitter taste in the mouth of those who bought it, and perhaps even put off some players who might have otherwise chosen to dive in.

While an $80 price tag on an excellent game might be palatable to people who want quality, it did raise concerns about a new pricing standard that could isolate quite a few gamers whose budgets might not allow them to pick up great games consistently.

9. Industry Wide Layoffs

There’s a long list of studios that have been shut down, and teams that have faced layoffs over a variety of factors. Studios like Monolith, whose Nemesis System is now probably locked away in a vault somewhere, are great examples of talented teams who were unfortunately let go thanks to a variety of factors.

2025 also saw layoffs across Electronic Arts, Supermassive Games, People Can Fly, Amazon Games, and several others, with thousands of developers ultimately losing their jobs. Here’s hoping that all of the talented folks who were affected it managed to land on their feet.

10. MindsEye

Boy, was this one an annoyance. We went into MindsEye expecting great things from Build A Rocket Boy but were left with a bitter taste in our mouth after its lifeless world, lackluster story, and uninspired combat. This was a game that should have been so much more, and was perhaps the most egregious fail that 2025 brought to the gaming world.

The studio’s response to the criticism aimed at their debut title was also quite lacking, showcasing a poor attitude that did it no favors, and perhaps can act as a lesson to other studios whose offerings fail to get off the ground at the outset.

11. Monster Hunter Wilds PC

This one’s another instance of a disappointing end to a very long wait. With Worlds being as good as it was, Wilds should have been a sequel that took the popular franchise from the developer to new heights. And while the game did manage to put up a good show on consoles, its PC performance left players quite irate with the studio thanks to its poor optimization.

Frame rate issues, poor VRAM optimization, crashes, stutters, and so many more problems ruined what should have been an incredible time hunting monsters in visually stunning environments. This one’s a classic example of a game that should have been more popular right off the bat but was let down thanks to its problems. We’re happy it managed to get back on track though, somewhat.

12. Where Winds Meet’s UI Issues

If you’ve been with us for a while, you already know that Where Winds Meet has been quite a surprise for all of us who got to play it. However, its UI is one area that could certainly use some polish. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that it’s so confusing it runs the risk of making its players miss important parts of its gameplay loop, and needs to do better and communicate all of the myriad systems it contains.

This isn’t a game-breaking problem but it does need to be addressed nonetheless considering the amazing quality of everything else on offer in the experience.

13. Valorant’s Text Verification

Valorant might be among the best esports shooters out there, but that might have worked against the game in this particular instance. With Riot Games aiming to minimize cheating within the game and requiring users to use multi-factor-authentication to be able to play the game, it was obvious that there was going to be a bit of backlash.

With accounts being tied to specific mobile numbers and stringent checks against shady practices, players with multiple accounts who actually played the game without resorting to malpractices were forced to adhere to the new rules. Although necessary, it could still be seen as uncomfortable. We’re all human, after all.

14. Lacking Features At Launch

Several titles released with content that wasn’t available at launch, causing dissatisfaction among players thanks to how crucial they were to their overall enjoyment of the game in question. Borderlands 4’s excellent visuals might have tempted many of its players to take a break and grab some awesome shots of its world, but the lack of a Photo Mode at launch made that an area of frustration.

Ghost of Yotei should have had a New Game+ mode from the very start but that wasn’t the case. Its distinct lack of enemies out in its open world after you finished its story should have been a reason to have the option to get right back into the action but at least it’s there now for those who want it. Several other titles had notable omissions that had us scratching our heads at why they weren’t in the game in the first place.

15. Cancelled Projects

Sony pulled the plug on Bend Studio and Bluepoint Studio’s live-service projects in its pivot towards more profitable (and probably safer) ventures, while Microsoft also cancelled Everwild and Perfect Dark, both of which seemed like solid additions to their respective lineups of titles.

It’s always disappointing to see games with potential be denied the chance to show what they have but it is what it is.

And that’s a wrap on some of 2025’s failures that had gamers shaking their heads at dismal decisions and poor execution of great ideas. Here’s to hoping that 2026 manages to make lists like these a lot shorter!

But as much as we hate to say it, there are a few titles that just didn’t click, and now have the dubious distinction of forming the lower end of the year’s releases. Let’s jump into which of this year’s games have made the list, and why.

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

With fatigue having set into the franchise for a while, a lackluster campaign, and some heavy competition in the form of Battlefield 6, Ark Raiders, and Ready or Not, Blacks Ops 7 has failed to breathe new life into the franchise, and has plummeted to being the lowest-ranked Call of Duty entry in history.

Despite its emphasis on a more tactical gameplay loop this time around, Blacks Ops 7 has ultimately failed to bring any meaningful innovations that can make it stand out in a long list of titles from a franchise that could use a bit of course correction. That’s especially disappointing in a year where some excellent shooters have made their presence felt.

2. Sacred 2 Remaster

While the original game might have been considered innovative at the time of its release, this remaster’s insistence on preserving the original experience has largely backfired thanks to the passage of time. Sacred 2’s clunky mechanics and dated visuals needed more than a fresh coat of paint, and it’s a game that’s going to be played only for its nostalgia factor.

Although it did many cool things with its setting and world, it simply doesn’t measure up to scrutiny today. The world may be unique enough to give this one so replay value, but every playthrough is such a chore that it could be very tempting to drop off the game and move on quite quickly. This one should have been a remake if it were to have had any chance at succeeding among a very discerning crop of modern gamers.

3. Double Dragon Revive

Basic combat, finicky targeting, horrendous character models, and a failure to live up to the promise of a series that had been dormant for over a decade, this one was all kinds of wrong for both franchise fans and newcomers alike. Its drab environments and lack of the flair that makes a fighter special made this one a very forgettable experience that quickly gets boring.

And don’t get us started on the platforming sections. We’re all for a challenge in our games but bad design being a part of that challenge is a recipe for frustration , not engagement. While it all could have been salvaged by some awesome combat, there were only so many times we could punch the air before giving up on it all.

What’s sad about this one is that it had the potential to be all that it promised. Countering enemy Aura attacks with a Special Attack of your own was quite satisfying but the minuscule timing window on those parries made pulling them off rely more on luck than on skill. As a fighting game, this one should have been very different, and so much more than it was.

4. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2

Combining a vampire adventure with a setting that pushes you in the direction of an investigation just like a detective sounds like a great concept, doesn’t it? However Bloodlines 2 fails to capitalize on that premise. Its emphasis on sending you all around its admittedly well-crafted world does little to disguise the fact that its exploration is just unrewarding.

While the setting on offer is reasonably good, the combat is too clunky to be entertaining and this is a game that simply doesn’t click on any level. It can even get tedious from moment to moment if you don’t try and diversify what you’re doing. In a year where Ghost of Yotei gave us a more nuanced take on detective work alongside a brilliant combat system, this one is sadly relegated to the shadows.

5. Game of Thrones Kingsroad

With honestly terrible recreations of popular characters from the franchise, and a gameplay loop that doesn’t stay as entertaining as it is after the initial thrills of being let loose in Westeros in a well-crafted RPG world wear off. Bad character models, visual glitches, and a progression system that actively worked against players looking to make progress were factors that broke the spell of some solid visuals.

The combat gets repetitive too quickly, and as an RPG, having to manage menus more than your character arc was a drag. Kingsroad is an ambitious attempt to bring a popular franchise to life in the gaming world, but unlike its presence in other media, this take on Westeros fails to be one to draw the masses.

It’s disappointing to place this one among 2025’s non-preformers but Kingsroad is one that’s better avoided thanks to the journey being too uninteresting to be relevant.

6. Drag x Drive Review

A reasonably good gameplay loop and solid performance on the Switch 2 might have been factors being praised if this one had managed to be more interesting. With its innovative use of the Joy-Con 2’s mouse mode, Drag x Drive Review could have been on the frontline’s of the console’s initial push into popularity after its launch.

But its high skill ceiling and unfamiliar control schemes work alongside a lack of content to keep things interesting to wall off most players from being incentivized to keep pushing forward through its gameplay loop until they get to the meat of why it can be enjoyable in the first place.

However, if you’re looking for a fun, unique 3v3 online title to dive into with your buddies, this one might just be worth picking up on sale when the chance comes along.

7.Killing Floor 3

While the legacy this one carried might tempt you to give it a go, you’re quickly going to find out that Tripwire Interactive failed to capitalize on the valuable feedback it received during the closed beta it held for it. While it can be fun on occasion, and even shines brightly when your plans for the chaotic decimation of Zeds line up well, its lack of content makes it too forgettable to be worth it.

For a game meant ot be played with friends or as a team, its solo survival mode might just be the most entertaining thing it has to offer. There was too little synergy between its playable classes for it to sustain any sort of engagement its initial hours might have garnered, and the lack of enemy types and bosses at launch meant that it soon became a rampage without consequences once we got used to its mechanics and combat.

All in all, there was a lot to like but too little of it to make Killing Floor 3 a game that holds its own against the year’s heavyweights, or enough to ensure it stayed off this particular list. Tough luck, though.

8. Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror

In a genre where the world you craft is as much a part of the experience as your story and gameplay, Behind the Broken Mirror’s poor level design and a fairly predictable and uninspired story made it rank low among the year’s best horror experiences.

Frustrating puzzles peppered a progression path that was often blocked thanks to a lack of clarity on potential solutions stemming from poorly designed levels. It often felt like the game was working against us to be as frustrating as it could be, instead of with us to be entertaining instead.

The story is similarly all over the place, and you’re better off not joining Eliza on her journey to regain her lost memories.

9. MindsEye

In the end, MindsEye’s gorgeously crafted world was ultimately where its ambitions went to die. As if its lackluster story, subpar combat, and uninspired game design weren’t enough, the game’s AI was simply not up to the standard of a 2025 release. Policemen would walk idly by while you slaughtered an enemy in front of them, while the lack of life along the streets you go along made the entire experience feel like a massive letdown.

It’s a world that feels empty despite how its vibrant colors and futuristic buildings immediately stand out as soon as you see them. But MindsEye sadly doesn’t populate that world with enough life to make it matter to its players.

Making things worse was the lack of effective damage control from Build a Rocket Boy, and the eventual promise of a roadmap of fixes has ultimately failed to grab any attention. It’s a pity, but MindsEye is among the biggest failures of 2025 as far as gaming is concerned.

10. La Quimera

It’s a solid premise for a shooter. Its absolutely dystopian premise and environmental storytelling might have been the stuff of a legendary game. But Reburn’s Early Access version of a solid idea does nothing to make this game worth your time.

Its story fails to raise the stakes enough to make you care, which is quite surprising considering the setting it takes place in. Its combat is similarly vanilla, giving you farily powerful weapons and linear levels in which taking down enemies quickly became routine instead of a fight for survival in which either side could end up losing.

And in what’s going to be our top pick for most annoying mechanic of the year, your mercenary’s pockets only let you carry a limited amount of money. That’s counterproductive to the nature of your work, isn’t it? La Quimera makes too many of these blunders to be close to the experience it could be as it stands today.

11. Solo Levelling: Arise Overdrive

While its visuals and excellent audio design might have you believing that this one is worthy of the anime that inspired it, you’re going to want to temper your expectations with Solo Levelling: Arise Overdrive if you’re a fan or someone with a passing interest in what it has to offer.

It’s a story wastes the potential set up by the level designs, while bosses waste its combat system’s potential by having massive health bars whose only effect is that they make each one outstay their welcome. Despite a lot of depth, this one simply fails to make use of its strengths enough for it to be worth a shot.

And that’s a wrap on the year’s titles that might have been more than what they are if things had turned out different. We’re hoping that the talented teams behind these titles lift their chins up and come back stronger than ever with new projects in the years to come.

ARCADIA is described as an “ever-expanding world of missions, races, puzzles, and challenges” within MindsEye. The campaign and side missions remain, and can be experienced offline, but ARCADIA is now a “streaming service,” which requires an internet connection at all times. There are even leaderboards, despite the sheer vacuum of a player base.

You can check out the trailer below for some examples of what ARCADIA represents. There’s no word on when Free Roam or its protagonist (known simply as “‘Can’t Drink Dust’ Guy”) will return.

However, from the outset, MindsEye appears to be sticking to its post-launch roadmap with these new modes, missions and multiplayer. The question now is whether it’s “major adventure in the Starstream universe,” slated for sometime this Winter, is on track. Or whether that open-world multiplayer title set one year after is still happening.

MindsEye is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out our review of the base game – we gave it a five out of ten, praising the visuals and creation tools while lambasting pretty much everything else.