Hitman Boss Says He 'Doesn't Believe' People Are Being Paid to Post Negative Comments About MindsEye

The co-CEO of the developer of upcoming crippled MindsEye claimed 2 weeks agone that determination is simply a “concerted effort” to “trash the crippled and the studio,” and suggested radical were being paid to accidental antagonistic things astir the crippled online. But erstwhile asked, the CEO of Hitman developer IO Interactive, which is publishing the game, said that helium doesn't judge that's happening.

This saga began arsenic portion of the lead-up to the merchandise of MindsEye connected June 10, which has garnered nary tiny magnitude of antagonistic feedback from those who person been pursuing it pre-release. During a Q&A implicit the game's authoritative Discord 2 weeks ago, developer Build a Rocket Boy co-CEO Mark Gerhard was asked: “Do you deliberation that each the radical who reacted negatively were financed by someone?”

“100%,” Gerhard responded, earlier adding: “Doesn't instrumentality overmuch to conjecture who 🤣”

The speech continued, with galore expressing astonishment astatine this effect and 1 idiosyncratic saying: "A co-CEO for a workplace implying different workplace is paying previewers to speech negatively astir your crippled is an perfectly chaotic remark to marque successful a nationalist situation successful immoderate situation.” Gerhard replied: "Not chaotic erstwhile its [sic] true....."

With this accusation hanging successful the air, I spoke to IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak this past play successful the aftermath of the company's showcase featuring 007: First Light, Hitman, and MindsEye, which IOI is publishing. Two weeks ago, IOI declined to respond to a petition for remark connected the situation. But during that interview, I asked Abrak outright if helium thought the accusation was true.

He responded: "I don't know. I don't judge that. I don't judge that. I conscionable deliberation the crippled should talk for itself connected June the 10th."

Abrak did not accidental much connected the subject, though helium did respond concisely to the expanding antagonistic comments astir MindsEye present that it has breached its thoroughfare date. "I deliberation we should each hold 'til the 10th of June due to the fact that it's precise mean these times that we each arsenic developers support connected moving connected patches and moving to the past minute. And there's a batch of these things coming in. So I deliberation that radical should conscionable hold until the merchandise and person the champion imaginable experience."

We precocious had crippled manager Leslie Benzies connected IGN Live to speech astir MindsEye, specifically astir plans for user-generated contented in-game.

We’ll beryllium publishing our afloat interrogation with Abrak aboriginal this week, including treatment of not conscionable MindsEye, but besides the aboriginal of the Hitman franchise and 007: First Light. MindsEye launches connected June 10, 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. You tin find her posting connected BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].