The Mindseye director explains why it's not open world like GTA

Summary

Mindseye has been quite confusing since it was revealed, but the game's director has set the record right on what it is.
For starters, it is supposed to be a more linear game that does not have a properly open world, even though he is set in a big city.
Mindseye's length was also explained, with Benzies who noted that the team wanted to do something “finishing”.

Mindseye's director Leslie Benzies has defended the game's shorter driving time and linear approach by noting that the “majority of people” do not actually play games all the way to the end anyway.

Undoubtedly, Build A Rocket Boy's Mindseye must be one of the strangest games coming out in 2025. Not only did it start as an “experience” within the expansive Creation tool, but it is also not the GTA-ESQue that many expect given it is directed by the former GTA-Veteran Lesie Benzies.

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Mindseye looks like a fake game you would see played in a section of Breaking Bad

Build A Rocket Boy's debut project Mindseye is out in a few weeks and we know very little about it.

In fact, even though it is marketed as an open world game, Mindseye actually sounds like it is much closer to the Mafia series than Grand Theft Auto, with a large world that is more firm than anything else. We have also known for a while now that it will be shorter than you can expect, something that Benzies has recently explained in an interview.

Mindseye only takes about 20 hours to beat

Devs wanted to “create something that is final”

As pointed out by insider games, Benzies recently put down to chat with Gamesindarutry about Mindseye, which included being asked about its more linear approach and shorter length. When asked why the game did not go open world like GTA, Benzies said that the team did not want “freedom to produce a story”.

With Mindseye, it is for a certain time in Jacob's life and even bounces around, which Benzies said would make it “very difficult” to include an open world. As the director expressed “it must be a linear game”. That being said, Benzies points out that you may have open world experiences in the game through its build.mindseye mode.

As for the shorter length, Benzies confirmed that there will be “about 20 hours”, but that there will be side content and more things added after launch. The director defended the length by noting that he thinks 20 hours is a “good length for a game” and that most – about 60 to 70 percent – do not play all the way until the end.

I don't think you can have fillers in games. I think people want the meat and they want the potato. We have tried to make as much meat as we can, if it makes sense. – Leslie Benzies

Benzies ended by saying that the team would rather create something that is final instead of a 200-hour game. Finally, at the price point of $ 60, Benzies notes that “the world in a fun place” and that he thinks players will appreciate the value they come out of mindseye and all the content it offers.