The future of Arkane Studios remains uncertain, casting a shadow over the beloved Dishonored franchise. However, one of its co-creators, Harvey Smith, isn’t ready to let immersive sims fade away. He’s just announced the formation of Black Pony Immersive, a new studio dedicated to crafting games that sound remarkably similar to what made Dishonored so special.
A New Chapter for Immersive Sims
In a recent announcement, Harvey Smith and Ben Horne unveiled Black Pony Immersive, a game studio focused on developing imaginative first-person action-RPGs. These games will be set in richly detailed worlds, empowering players to forge their own unique experiences through expressive gameplay systems. This description perfectly encapsulates not only the Dishonored series but also other Arkane masterpieces like Prey and Deathloop.
Smith served as co-creative director and creative director on Dishonored and Dishonored 2, respectively, while Horne most recently held the position of production director at Arkane, working on Redfall. Like its predecessor, Black Pony Immersive will be based in Austin, Texas. It’s worth noting that Arkane Lyon, the studio responsible for Deathloop, is still actively developing games.
“This group has a long history of collaboration, with some members working together for decades,” stated Horne, who will serve as COO and executive producer at Black Pony Immersive. “We share a vision for creating games that push the boundaries of player immersion, and we’re eager to reveal more details soon.”
The Return of a Genre
Immersive sims, including Dishonored, Deathloop, and their predecessors like Thief, System Shock, and Deus Ex, haven’t been as prevalent in recent years. While Arkane’s last major project, Redfall, was a co-op experience rather than the single-player focus many fans of the genre expect, Black Pony Immersive promises a return to form. Furthermore, Raphael Colantonio, who co-directed the original Dishonored, left Arkane several years ago and founded WolfEye Studios. Their first game, Weird West, successfully translated the immersive-sim concept into a top-down Western setting. Their currently still-unnamed project will be a first-person action-RPG.
[MEDIA_0: Harvey Smith and Ben Horne are building something special with Black Pony Immersive, promising a return to the immersive sim genre that fans have been craving.]
Source: GameSpot
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