Arkane Austin
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Dishonored's Harvey Smith named his new studio Black Pony Immersive so people would stop asking him to work on other genres: 'Specialising on what you love is not a bad path'
Dishonored director Harvey Smith has launched a new studio, Black Pony Immersive, with fellow Arkane alumnus Ben Horne. The studio's name explicitly signals its focus on immersive sims, a genre Smith believes in specializing in to avoid the pitfalls of projects like Redfall, which he feels Arkane should not have worked on. Smith aims to leverage his reputation in the genre to build a successful independent studio.
Former Redfall devs discuss lessons and failings from the multiplayer game’s creation
Former Arkane Austin developers, including creative director Harvey Smith and Ben Horne, reflect on the failings of the multiplayer shooter Redfall. They acknowledge that the game was outside their expertise, citing issues like its $70 price tag and lack of performance modes, and express regret over developing a games-as-a-service title. Both are now part of a new studio, Black Pony Immersive, focusing on immersive sims.
Redfall co-director Harvey Smith thinks Arkane 'never should have been working on a games-as-a-service game'
Former Arkane Austin creative director Harvey Smith believes the studio should never have worked on Redfall, a games-as-a-service title. He reflects on the game's failure, the closure of Arkane Austin, and the team's efforts to salvage the game. Smith and other former Arkane developers are now focusing on creating immersive sims with their new company, Black Pony.
Thief designer Randy Smith Evergreen refused to work for Xbox because it would be like 'walking past some stakes with human skulls on them' and pretending 'it's probably fine in this direction'
Thief designer Randy Smith Evergreen explains his decision to refuse an opportunity to work for an Xbox-funded studio due to Microsoft's history of studio closures, likening it to ignoring obvious danger. He discusses the challenges of AAA development for immersive sims and his preference for smaller, more focused indie projects.
Dishonored was a last-ditch effort by Arkane Studios after years of fruitless contract work, according to the game's co-creator: 'I think we had four months of money left'
Dishonored co-creator Harvey Smith revealed that the game was a last-ditch effort for Arkane Studios, which was facing financial collapse with only four months of funds remaining. The studio had been taking on various contract work, but ultimately decided to focus on their passion project, which became a critical and commercial success. This experience solidified Smith's belief in pursuing creative passion, a principle he is applying to his new studio, Black Pony Immersive.
Former Arkane vets' new studio isn't going to try 'trend chasing', and in hindsight, thank God
Harvey Smith and Ben Horne, former Arkane developers, have founded a new studio called Black Pony Immersive. They aim to avoid chasing industry trends and instead focus on creating immersive sim games that excite them and their target audience, citing the continued cultural and financial success of titles like BioShock and Dishonored as evidence of the genre's viability.
Redfall developers begged Microsoft to come back and finish its last patch: 'I know we don't work here anymore, but can we please release this?'
Former Arkane Austin employees, including director Harvey Smith, revealed that they begged Microsoft to allow them to release the final 1.4 patch for the poorly received game Redfall after the studio was shut down. This patch, which fixed numerous bugs, was developed after the team was laid off but was ultimately released by Microsoft, who allowed a small group to return to the office to complete it. While the patch significantly improved the game, it is unlikely to have saved it from its initial critical and commercial failure.
Hundreds of union workers rally across North America to protest Xbox layoffs
Hundreds of unionized video game workers rallied across North America to protest recent layoffs at Microsoft's Xbox division. Members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and allies gathered to call out corporate greed and demand fair contracts, citing multiple rounds of job cuts impacting studios like Obsidian, id Software, and ZeniMax Online Studios. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirmed 3,200 job eliminations, with 1,600 immediate layoffs, leading to legal action from the CWA against Microsoft for alleged mishandling of the cuts.
Harvey Smith and fellow Arkane Austin veterans announce a new studio, Black Pony Immersive
Former Arkane Austin veterans Harvey Smith and Ben Horne have announced the formation of a new studio, Black Pony Immersive. The studio, founded in August 2025, aims to create ambitious immersive sim games, drawing on the team's experience from Arkane and other studios like Insomniac and Epic Games. Black Pony Immersive is currently working on an unannounced single-player narrative-rich game.
"Think Deus Ex, think Dishonored, that's what we're doing": Former Arkane devs reveal new studio dedicated to making single-player immersive sims
Former Arkane developers Harvey Smith and Ben Horne have founded a new studio called Black Pony Immersive, dedicated to creating single-player immersive simulation games. The studio aims to recapture the spirit of titles like Deus Ex and Dishonored, bringing together a team of experienced developers who were affected by recent industry layoffs.
Dishonored co-creator Harvey Smith launches a new studio and it literally has the word 'Immersive' in the name
Dishonored co-creator Harvey Smith and executive producer Ben Horne have launched a new studio named Black Pony Immersive. The studio, comprised of developers from Arkane, Insomniac, and other major companies, aims to create singleplayer first-person action RPGs with emergent gameplay systems, drawing inspiration from classic immersive sim titles.
Redfall Bosses Explain What Happened With The Failed Xbox Exclusive
Former Arkane directors Harvey Smith and Ben Horne, now heading Black Pony Immersive, discussed the challenges and missteps in the development of the Xbox exclusive Redfall. They cited the industry's focus on live-service games and external factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation as contributing to the game's difficulties and poor reception. Despite the studio closure and layoffs, a small team returned to release a significant update, 1.4, which improved the game.
Dishonored, Deus Ex Designer Stars New Studio to Continue Focusing on Immersive Sims
Veteran game developer Harvey Smith, formerly of Arkane Austin, has founded a new studio called Black Pony Immersive. The studio will focus on the immersive sim genre, continuing Smith's work on titles like Dishonored and Deus Ex. The team includes several former Arkane Austin developers.
"Through the looking glass": as Arkane fight for their future, Dishonored veteran Harvey Smith reveals new studio dedicated to immersive sims
Harvey Smith, a veteran developer from Arkane Studios, has announced the formation of Black Pony Immersive, a new studio focused on creating imaginative first-person action RPGs and immersive sims. The studio, which includes other former Arkane developers, aims to build single-player games that reward player creativity and exploration. This announcement comes during a period of industry volatility, with Microsoft having recently closed Arkane Austin and currently negotiating the future of Arkane Lyon.
Fallout 3 and New Vegas Remasters are a good start, but before Fallout 5 Bethesda could be doing so much more
The announcement of Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters highlights the long neglect of the Fallout series, with Fallout 5 not expected for many years. While new content for Fallout 76 and a potential Obsidian project are on the horizon, the article argues that Xbox and Bethesda could leverage other studios within their ecosystem to develop more Fallout titles and better manage the franchise's potential.
Saudi-led EA buyout receives EU approval, Xbox trials ad-supported game streaming, and Poinpy is eternal - Patch Notes #62
The European Commission has approved the Saudi-led buyout of Electronic Arts, while Xbox is trialing ad-supported game streaming for select titles. Separately, the mobile platformer Poinpy has returned, and news emerges about a revived Kinect game, scrapped Pokémon designs, and legal disputes involving Nintendo and Bethesda employees.
Alpha Dog Games returns to independence two years after being shuttered by Xbox
Alpha Dog Games, the developer of Mighty Doom, has returned to independent ownership two years after being shut down by Microsoft. Studio founder Shawn Woods confirmed the transition, expressing gratitude to Microsoft for enabling the return. The studio is updating its Unity-based engine and is in discussions with partners, though specific projects remain undisclosed.
Another former Xbox studio is "independently owned, again" after Microsoft shut it down in 2024
Alpha Dog Games, a studio previously shut down by Microsoft in 2024, has reemerged as an independently owned entity. Studio founder Shawn Woods updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect the change, indicating the studio regained independence in May 2025. This follows a trend of studios becoming independent after Microsoft's recent closures and layoffs.
The Descent - how game devs learned to love ladders
This article explores the complex history and design considerations of ladders in video games, from early problematic implementations to modern, nuanced approaches. Developers like Arkane Austin and Hideo Kojima have experimented with ladders as both gameplay mechanics and narrative tools, highlighting how even simple elements can significantly impact player experience and game design.
Opinion: Welcome to the house of pain, brought to you by Xbox
Xbox is facing significant layoffs and studio closures despite massive investments in mergers and acquisitions, including the $70 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard King. CEO Asha Sharma cited a failure to meet growth expectations for Game Pass and multi-platform strategies as reasons for the 'reset,' which has resulted in over 7,000 job cuts across the company since January 2024, with more planned.
