The Edinburgh studio is expanding its Arcadia vision by bringing player-builders closer to the developers shaping the future of MindsEye.
EDINBURGH, Scotland — August 25, 2026 — For years, the relationship between game developers and players has been remarkably straightforward.
Studios build games. Communities play them. Feedback flows back through forums, Discord servers and social media, but the walls around development itself have rarely moved. Players might influence the next patch, but they’re almost never invited into the room while the future of a game is still being shaped.
Last week, Build A Rocket Boy tested a different idea.
The Edinburgh developer welcomed a group of Arcadia creators—players who build their own missions, races and gameplay experiences inside MindsEye—into its studio to spend time with the developers behind the platform itself.
On paper, it was a community event.
In practice, it revealed something much more ambitious.
Changing Who Gets a Seat at the Table
AAA development has traditionally been one of the industry’s most guarded environments. Studios open their doors for journalists, investors and carefully managed preview events, but comparatively few have invited members of their own creator communities into discussions about tools that haven’t yet been released.
That’s what made the Arcadia Builder event stand out.
Arcadia isn’t simply a level editor bundled with MindsEye.
It’s Build A Rocket Boy’s belief that professional-quality game creation shouldn’t be reserved exclusively for professional developers.
Over the past year, the studio has steadily expanded Arcadia with new features while releasing its own professionally developed missions built using the very same tools available to players. Every update has served two purposes: expanding MindsEye itself while demonstrating what’s possible for the community building alongside it.
“Inviting those creators into the studio felt like the natural next step.”
Founder Leslie Benzies described the visit as an extension of the studio’s long-term vision.
“Arcadia is about democratising gaming. The tools we use to build MindsEye belong in players’ hands. Bringing these builders into the studio is the whole point—they are not just our community, they are co-creators of this world.”
From Community to Collaboration
During the visit, creators met directly with the development team, explored upcoming Arcadia features and showcased experiences they had already built inside MindsEye.
On the surface, it resembled a traditional creator event.
The philosophy behind it was very different.
For years, studios have talked about building games for their communities. Build A Rocket Boy appears to be experimenting with what happens when developers begin building them with those communities instead.
It’s an ambitious approach—and not without challenges.
The closer players are brought to development, the greater their expectations become. Once creators feel they’re helping shape a platform, they’ll naturally expect their ideas to be heard. That requires a different relationship between studio and community—one based less on announcements and more on ongoing collaboration.
Co-CEO Mark Gerhard suggested the Edinburgh gathering was only the beginning.
“The next chapter of MindsEye will be built with our players, not just for them. Hosting builders in Edinburgh is the start of a much bigger creator programme.”
The Walls Are Starting to Come Down
For much of the games industry’s history, the boundary between developers and players has been clearly defined. Studios created. Communities consumed.
Over the past decade that distinction has gradually blurred through modding, Early Access, user-generated content and live-service games. The Arcadia Builder event suggested Build A Rocket Boy believes the next step is bringing creators even closer to development itself.
Perhaps that’s the more interesting story.
The significance of the event wasn’t that a handful of players visited an Edinburgh studio.
It was that the studio treated them less like guests and more like collaborators.
Whether Arcadia ultimately becomes one of gaming’s major creator platforms will be decided over the coming years.
But one thing already seems clear.
Build A Rocket Boy isn’t simply building a community around MindsEye.
It’s trying to build part of MindsEye alongside that community.
To read more, visit the website here.
About Build A Rocket Boy
Build A Rocket Boy was founded in 2016 by Leslie Benzies in Edinburgh, Scotland. MindsEye is the studio’s debut title, while Arcadia reflects the company’s broader ambition to give players tools to build and share their own game experiences.
For more information, visit MindsEye.game.
