Build a Rocket Boy’s £200M Dream: The Unraveling of Everywhere

The Ambitious Vision Behind Everywhere and Its Unexpected Halt

In July 2024, employees at Build a Rocket Boy, an Edinburgh-based video game studio, received an unexpected summons to an all-staff meeting. The news delivered was a significant blow: the studio’s highly anticipated debut title, Everywhere, a sprawling sci-fi adventure, would not be released as planned. This announcement marked a pivotal moment for a company that had attracted substantial investment and high expectations, largely due to its founder, Leslie Benzies, a key figure behind the monumental success of the Grand Theft Auto series.

Benzies, who served as president of Rockstar North and lead producer on Grand Theft Auto III through Grand Theft Auto V, departed Rockstar in 2016 amidst a legal dispute with parent company Take-Two Interactive. His vision for Everywhere was grand: a game that transcended traditional boundaries, aiming to be a platform where players could not only engage in diverse gameplay experiences but also create their own content, akin to a metaverse. This ambition resonated with investors, leading to an estimated £200 million in funding, a staggering sum for a new studio.

The Genesis and Grand Ambitions of Build a Rocket Boy

Leslie Benzies established Build a Rocket Boy in 2016, quickly assembling a team of industry veterans. The studio’s name itself, Everywhere, hinted at its expansive aspirations. The game was initially envisioned as a competitor to established giants like Roblox and Fortnite, offering a blend of action, adventure, and user-generated content. Benzies articulated a desire to create a game that was “more than a game,” a digital space where players could “play, create, and share.” This vision was particularly compelling given Benzies’ track record of innovation and commercial success within the gaming industry.

The initial concept for Everywhere showcased a diverse array of gameplay modes, from traditional narrative-driven missions to open-world exploration and creative tools for players to build their own experiences. The underlying technology, known as ARCADIA, was designed to be a robust engine supporting this ambitious ecosystem. The development process, however, was fraught with challenges, as is often the case with projects of such scale and novelty.

Internal Struggles and Shifting Priorities

Sources close to the development, speaking anonymously due to non-disclosure agreements, described a complex internal environment. The studio grew rapidly, expanding to over 400 employees across offices in Edinburgh, Budapest, and Montpellier. This rapid expansion, coupled with the ambitious scope of Everywhere, led to what some characterized as a lack of clear direction and a constantly evolving vision. The game’s core identity reportedly shifted multiple times, making it difficult for developers to coalesce around a singular, achievable goal.

One former employee noted, “The vision was always changing. It was hard to nail down what Everywhere actually was.” This sentiment was echoed by others who described a culture where ideas, while innovative, often lacked the practical framework for implementation. The sheer volume of features planned for Everywhere — encompassing everything from a battle royale mode to a social hub and a powerful creation suite — proved to be a significant hurdle.

The Pivot to MindsEye: A New Direction

In a significant strategic shift, Build a Rocket Boy announced in July 2024 that Everywhere would be put on hold indefinitely. Instead, the studio would focus its resources on a new project: MindsEye. This decision came after years of development on Everywhere and substantial financial investment. MindsEye is described as a more traditional, linear, narrative-driven action game, drawing inspiration from classic spy thrillers. It will be a standalone title, distinct from the expansive, user-generated content platform that Everywhere was intended to be.

This pivot signifies a re-evaluation of the studio’s approach, moving away from the highly ambitious, open-ended metaverse concept to a more focused, contained experience. While the announcement was a disappointment for those who had followed Everywhere‘s development, it suggests a pragmatic shift towards delivering a more achievable and potentially marketable product. The studio confirmed that a significant portion of the Everywhere team would transition to MindsEye, with some redundancies occurring as part of the restructuring.

Key Takeaways

• Ambitious Vision: Leslie Benzies, former Grand Theft Auto lead, aimed to create a revolutionary metaverse-like game, Everywhere, securing approximately £200 million in funding.
• Development Challenges: The game’s expansive scope and evolving vision led to internal difficulties and a lack of clear direction for the 400+ person team.
• Strategic Pivot: In July 2024, Build a Rocket Boy announced the indefinite postponement of Everywhere.
• New Focus: The studio is now concentrating on MindsEye, a more traditional, narrative-driven action game.
• Industry Implications: This case highlights the inherent risks and complexities of developing highly ambitious, innovative titles in the competitive video game industry.

Conclusion

The story of Build a Rocket Boy’s Everywhere serves as a compelling case study in the high-stakes world of video game development. Leslie Benzies’ vision, while undeniably ambitious and backed by significant capital, ultimately faced the formidable challenges of execution and scope management. The pivot to MindsEye represents a strategic recalibration, a recognition that sometimes, a more focused approach is necessary to bring a product to fruition. As the gaming industry continues to evolve, the narrative of Everywhere underscores the delicate balance between groundbreaking innovation and practical development realities. The future of Build a Rocket Boy now rests on MindsEye, a project that carries the weight of past ambitions and the promise of a new, more defined direction.