24 December 2025
GTA-style games
Rockstar Considered Setting GTA in Japan and Other Countries, Former Employee Reveals
Former Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij has revealed that the Grand Theft Auto series almost left the US behind. According to Vermeij, a GTA: Tokyo project was seriously considered, but ultimately canceled. He also mentioned that there were early concepts for games set in Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, and Istanbul, but those ideas never moved beyond the drawing board.
28 November 2025
GTA-style games
GTA Turns 28: The Original Grand Theft Auto Celebrates Its Anniversary
Today (November 28) marks the birthday of the original Grand Theft Auto. The game was released exactly 28 years ago. Initially, it was available only on MS-DOS and Windows, but it made its way to PlayStation in December 1997.
29 October 2025
GTA-style games
Max Payne and Max Payne 2 Remakes Could Launch in 2026 If Remedy Maintains Current Development Pace
Finnish studio Remedy Entertainment has confirmed that development on the remakes of Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is moving forward as planned, despite the recent departure of CEO Tero Virtala. The project, developed in close partnership with Rockstar Games, has been in full-scale production for over 15 months.
10 October 2025
GTA-style games
Scandal Brewing at Former GTA Producer’s Studio — Build a Rocket Boy Employees Speak Out
Around a hundred current and former employees of Build a Rocket Boy, the studio founded by former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies, have come forward with an open letter accusing the company’s leadership of mistreating staff, mismanagement, and poor working conditions. The letter, published by the IWGB Game Workers union, is addressed directly to Benzies and co-CEO Mark Gerhard.
3 October 2025
GTA-style games
Screenshots Reveal Early Version of Max Payne 3 Set in Russia
Early screenshots from a canceled version of Max Payne 3, which was originally set in Russia, have surfaced online. In one of the images, you can spot the iconic towers of Moscow State University.
28 July 2025
GTA-style games
Former Rockstar North Technical Director Praises MindsEye, Despite Player Criticism
Game developer Obbe Vermeij, who previously served as technical director at Rockstar North, has unexpectedly spoken out in favor of MindsEye—a game that has been heavily criticized by players and currently holds a 37% rating on Steam.
4 July 2025
GTA-style games
Leslie Benzies Plans to "Relaunch" MindsEye and Blames Saboteurs for Its Troubles
Build A Rocket Boy (BARB), the studio founded by former GTA producer Leslie Benzies, has found itself in a tough spot after the disastrous launch of its game MindsEye. As a result, the company has sent out redundancy notices to around 300 UK-based employees. Similar notices were also sent to staff at PlayFusion, a studio acquired by Build A Rocket Boy at the end of 2024. PlayFusion is working on a separate title — the shooter Ascendant, which was originally slated for a 2025 release.
25 June 2025
GTA-style games
The Precinct, a "GTA for Cops," Gets a Major Update Announcement
Kwalee Gaming and Fallen Tree Games Ltd have announced a major update for The Precinct, a game some players have dubbed "GTA with a police badge." The update is set to launch later this week on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
24 June 2025
GTA-style games
Build A Rocket Boy, Founded by GTA 5 Producer, Faces Layoffs After MindsEye Flop
Build A Rocket Boy, the studio behind MindsEye, is facing major internal turmoil following the game's disappointing launch. According to IGN, the company has begun a process of mass layoffs that could impact over 100 employees—primarily at its UK office, where around 300 of the studio’s 500 global staff are based. A 45-day consultation period, as required by law for large-scale redundancies, is now underway.
13 June 2025
GTA-style games
Sony Begins Issuing Refunds for MindsEye as Developers Announce Fixes
The recently released game MindsEye from Build A Rocket Boy has come under heavy criticism from gamers. Launched on June 10, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, the project disappointed many users right out of the gate due to technical issues and unmet promises.
12 June 2025
GTA-style games
MindsEye Gameplay and Details Compared to GTA 5 and San Andreas
Comparisons between MindsEye, the new title from former GTA producer Leslie Benzies, and Rockstar Games’ classics have already surfaced online. Unsurprisingly, Build a Rocket Boy’s project comes up short next to its competitors.
12 June 2025
GTA-style games
MindsEye Devs Apologize to Gamers, Promise Incoming Patch
After MindsEye received heavy criticism on Steam, the developers released an official statement to players, thanking them for their support and apologizing for the issues that plagued the game at launch.
11 June 2025
GTA-style games
MindsEye from Former GTA Producer Receives Mixed Reviews on Steam
The adventure action game MindsEye, developed under the direction of Leslie Benzies—one of the key producers behind the Grand Theft Auto series—has just launched. Despite the high-profile name attached to the project, early Steam reviews have been mixed.
2 June 2025
GTA-style games
Former GTA Producer Explains Why His New Game MindsEye Is Shorter Than Expected
Leslie Benzies, who previously worked at Rockstar North and served as a producer on GTA 5, recently explained why his new game, MindsEye, ended up being shorter in terms of playtime than many anticipated.
27 May 2025
GTA-style games
New Overview Trailer Released for MindsEye from Former GTA Producer
Leslie Benzies’ studio Build a Rocket Boy has unveiled a new overview trailer for MindsEye. The open-world action game is set to launch on June 10 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
23 May 2025
GTA-style games
MindsEye Previews Hit the Web — Early Reactions to GTA Co-Creator’s Action Game Are Disappointing
Ahead of its upcoming release, several content creators have gotten hands-on access to MindsEye, the new action game from Grand Theft Auto co-creator and former producer Leslie Benzies. Unfortunately, early impressions suggest that developer Build a Rocket Boy may have rushed the game's release.
13 May 2025
GTA-style games
AI Imagines What a Norway-Themed GTA Could Look Like
A funny video showing what a Grand Theft Auto game set in Norway might look like has racked up nearly three thousand likes on Reddit.
8 May 2025
GTA-style games
Mafia: The Old Country System Requirements Revealed
Hangar 13 has unveiled the PC system requirements for their upcoming action game, Mafia: The Old Country. Aspiring mobsters looking to run the streets in 2K resolution will need a rig packing an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU, and 32 GB of RAM.
2 May 2025
GTA-style games
Release of Max Payne Remake Trailers Depends on Rockstar, Remedy Confirms
Remedy Entertainment has stated that the marketing campaign and trailer release for the Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes are entirely in the hands of the publisher—Rockstar Games. This was confirmed by Remedy CEO Tero Virtala during a call with investors following the company’s latest quarterly report.
28 April 2025
GTA-style games
Gameplay Teaser for MindsEye Revealed — From Former GTA 5 Producer
A gameplay teaser for the upcoming third-person story-driven action game MindsEye has appeared online. The game is being developed by Build a Rocket Boy, a studio founded by Leslie Benzies, the former game director and producer of GTA 5.