Sponsored streams for former GTA dev's new game MindsEye aren't going to plan - sponsor apparently cancels one stream and another creator actually laughs while promoting it

MindsEye isn't going to plan. There are horrifying glitches we haven't seen since Assassin's Creed Unity, it's locked to 30fps on consoles, even on a PS5 Pro, and it plays like a poor imitation of GTA. But that's not really news on its own. We've all seen and played bad games. But, have you ever seen a game so bad even a streamer can't get through their sponsored segment without laughing at it?

As spotted by Kotaku's Ethan Gach, one streamer can barely keep it together while telling their chat where they can buy MindsEye. Every few words, they let out a little chuckle to themselves as their chat types messages like "wait is this actually sponsored?" and "lmao."

Another streamer claims to have had their sponsored stream cancelled mere seconds before they were set to begin. This happened "For the first time in my streaming career," they say. "As it was loading, my management contacted me and said, 'The sponsor does not want to do this right now.'" They add, "Fully transparent and honest, it sounds like, for MindsEye, that was the right decision."

One YouTuber even changed the title of their sponsored video following backlash about how misleading it was. Kevduit's sponsored video went from being called "MindsEye is WAY better than I thought" to simply "So I tried MindsEye."

In the comments, one person writes, "Gotta love how the game director claimed bad reviews were paid off, but yet, the only positive coverage of the game is sponsored…" People don't seem happy about Kevduit's framing, and the video currently sits at 6,700 dislikes and just 5,800 likes.

Over on ResetEra, one player claims the game's free roam mode is "worse than The Day Before" – big if true. Against my better judgment, I bought the game last night, and so far it's just railroaded me into story missions and unskippable cutscenes.

Turns out, free roam is "locked far into the game" and you don't even play it as the main character. You get given a new character and you can't change them or even their clothes. You also only get one car and can't steal others. There isn't even a world map you can open (I thought I'd unlock it later, but turns out it simply isn't in the game).

So, if you do want to play the game yourself, make sure you're not watching a sponsored stream. And if you are, check to see if the streamer is laughing while advertising it.

In the meantime, check out all the upcoming games you have to look forward to.