Former Rockstar Games Boss Praises GTA 6 Developers While Working on New Game MindsEye

Leslie Benzies, the former mastermind behind Rockstar Games and one of the key figures behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise, is gearing up to release his own ambitious open-world game—MindsEye. But here’s the twist: despite heading what could be a direct competitor to GTA 6, Benzies has nothing but respect for his old crew.

In a recent interview with GamingBible at the BAFTA Awards, Benzies addressed the elephant in the room: the inevitable comparisons between MindsEye and GTA 6. "There's always comparisons," he admitted. “The first question that gets asked is always about the old game, but I think that's human nature.”

He even likened his situation to Dave Grohl starting Foo Fighters after Nirvana. “It'll take a bit of time for us to find our own identity,” he said—a fair point, considering he played a massive role in shaping Rockstar’s most iconic titles.

Friendly Rivalry? Benzies Is Still Hyped for GTA 6

Even as MindsEye heads to market ahead of GTA 6, Benzies isn’t shy about showing love to his former colleagues. When asked if he was looking forward to Rockstar’s next big thing, his response was instant: “Absolutely.”

He went on to praise Rockstar’s current team, calling them “a great amount of geniuses... always creating something new, unique, and of a scale that very few others can actually pull off.”

What Is MindsEye All About?

Launching in June 2025, MindsEye puts players in the boots of Jacob Diaz, a former soldier dealing with memory loss due to a mysterious neural implant. He travels to the futuristic city of Redrock to uncover the truth, and possibly his past. Sounds like Cyberpunk 2077 meets GTA? You’re not far off.

But Benzies insists that MindsEye will stand on its own legs. While it may share some DNA with Rockstar-style open worlds, it also leans into a fresh blend of storytelling and tech innovation.

One of the coolest things about MindsEye is its connection to another Build a Rocket Boy title called Everywhere. Think of Everywhere as a Roblox-like companion game-slash-platform where players can actually build and upload content to expand the MindsEye universe. "Within MindsEye and the PC, there's a tool that's gonna let players build AAA-quality games," Benzies revealed.

What About GTA 6?

Rockstar and Take-Two are keeping their cards close to the chest when it comes to GTA 6, but the game is still locked in for a fall 2025 release. Interestingly, this time they’re planning a shorter marketing window, so don’t be surprised if trailers and big reveals start dropping soon.