Harvey Smith, the former creative director of Arkane Austin who led the studio through the troubled development of Redfall, has publicly branded the vampire-themed open-world shooter one of the publisher’s rare missteps — and has since departed to found his own studio, Black Pony Immersive. Speaking candidly about the project’s troubled legacy, Smith told Gamer24h that the team “never should have been working on a games-as-a-service game,” framing the title as a cautionary tale about creative misalignment. The remarks arrive as Smith transitions from Arkane to his new venture, where he now serves as CEO.
Smith’s comments come at a notable moment in the studio’s history. He is, of course, reflecting on what many in the community regard as a black mark on Arkane’s otherwise impressive portfolio. The studio is best known for its immersive sims — critically acclaimed titles such as Dishonored and Prey — and the pivot to a live-service shooter represented a dramatic departure from that identity.
A Rare Stumble for a Studio of Masters
“That was a game that did not come together, and we never should have been working on a games-as-a-service game, to be honest,” Smith said, describing Redfall as “a bit of a tragedy.” He noted that some of the most impressive game designers around — the masters of immersive sims — ended up working on a vampire-themed open-world multiplayer shooter that was poorly received. The fallout was severe: a year after launch, Microsoft shut down Arkane Austin, and almost 100 people lost their jobs as a result.
Despite the shutdown, the developers managed to salvage a final update. The team was still working hard to complete the 1.4 patch when development ceased for the most part. Smith acknowledged that the community was entitled to its reactions given the circumstances.
“It’s fair for people to have their reactions based on all those factors,” Smith said. “And you learn what you can from it and you shelter your team as much as possible, and then you hopefully try to get back to the thing that you really love, which is what we’re doing with Black Pony.”
Harvey Smith, CEO of Black Pony Immersive
The title also fell foul of the ongoing console war. A PS5 version was planned, but Microsoft cancelled it after acquiring Bethesda, leaving Sony fans able to weaponise the game’s less-than-glowing critical reception as an example of Xbox’s broader failures.
Converging Problems at Launch
Black Pony executive producer Ben Horne, who also worked on Redfall, told Gamer24h that “there were many things that seemed to converge all at once when Redfall was releasing.” He pointed to the $70 price point and the initial absence of a performance mode for Xbox at launch. The team had deliberately held back the performance mode because it maintained a good framerate, though there were noticeable dips. That decision, Horne explained, “turned into a huge thing that people came and said, ‘Oh, how come this isn’t 60 FPS at launch?'”
Horne acknowledged that the biggest issue, however, was that the team was “working on something that was just outside of our expertise.” These were immersive-sim experts working on a live-service shooter, and he conceded that it was always going to be a challenge. “Getting back to what we do best was the number one priority, for Harvey and myself, for the folks at Arkane and now at Black Pony — this is what our focus is.”
Looking Ahead
Black Pony has not yet revealed its first game, but Smith and Horne are clear about the direction. The new studio will return to the immersive-sim genre that defined Arkane’s reputation, with the first title expected to build on that legacy. As Smith’s comments underscore, the priority for the team is to reclaim the creative identity that made them renowned in the first place.
For now, the industry is left with a cautionary tale about the perils of creative misalignment — and a studio determined to course-correct. Fans of the immersive-sim genre will be watching closely to see what Black Pony delivers next.
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