Sponsors still paying streamers to play MindsEye after troubled launch

Kotaku reports that someone at either developer Build a Rocket Boy or publisher IO Interactive is still arranging sponsored playthroughs of MindsEye, with several high-profile creators promoted after the game’s December 2025 patch.

Among the examples noted, YouTuber and Twitch streamer Criken uploaded a sponsored MindsEye video on January 14, even though the shooter has barely topped 30 concurrent players on Steam since its disastrous June 2025 release. Other creators listed under the #MindsEyePartner tag — including SweeetTails, Blue Thunder Gaming, and Willyrex — have also been sponsored to play the game in the last month following its version 6.1 patch on December 18; Blue Thunder Gaming said the PR team agreed up front to let creators “say whatever [they] want.” Sponsored streams were part of the original launch campaign and produced viral moments that reinforced the game’s reputation for being boring and busted, and Twitch streamer CohhCarnage was reportedly asked to cancel a sponsored livestream minutes after announcing it.

Why sponsors remain involved is unclear: the report says the newer sponsored videos and streams do not appear to have meaningfully increased Steam player numbers, and while the game looks better than at launch, the writer concludes the damage may already be done — “a Cyberpunk 2077 turnaround story this is not. At least for now.”

Key Topics

Culture, Mindseye, Io Interactive, Criken, Willyrex, Steam