Arkane Studios
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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.
Dishonored director Harvey Smith thinks there's still room for big-budget immersive sims: 'When it really comes together and it has the budget behind it and the team, you end up with Deus Ex or Dishonored'
Dishonored director Harvey Smith believes there is still a place for big-budget immersive sims, contrasting with Randy Smith Evergreen's view that such games should have smaller budgets. Harvey Smith argues that when executed with sufficient resources and talent, immersive sims can result in acclaimed titles like Deus Ex and Dishonored, though he acknowledges the need to right-size budgets and avoid overly conservative design.
Almost 20 years later, Arkane's founder says he understands why Valve cancelled the Ravenholm game that never was:…
Arkane Studios founder Raphaël Colantonio discussed the cancellation of the standalone Half-Life 2: Ravenholm game, which was in development in the late 2000s. He explained that the decision was primarily economic, stemming from the sales performance of Half-Life 2's DLCs. Colantonio expressed initial pain and confusion over the cancellation but has since come to understand the business realities, noting the project's influence on Arkane's later work, such as Dishonored.
When Valve killed its Ravenholm game, Arkane founder says "we did not understand" its thinking: "It all came down to the economics behind Half-Life 2 and how the DLCs were selling"
Arkane founder Raphaël Colantonio discussed the cancellation of the Ravenholm game, a Half-Life 2 spin-off, stating that Valve's decision was based on the economics of DLC sales. Colantonio reflected on the decade-long pain of the cancellation but now understands Valve's business reasoning. He also mentioned that the project led to close collaboration with Half-Life 2's art director, Viktor Antonov.
Why GTA Games Are A “Stab In The Heart,” But Also Amazing, For Ex-Dishonored Dev
Former Dishonored developer Raphaël Colantonio views Grand Theft Auto games as a "stab in the heart" for immersive sim enthusiasts, praising Rockstar's surface-level simulation and sandbox execution while lamenting the lack of lasting consequences for player actions. He contrasts this with games like Skyrim, where choices have meaningful, long-term impacts, and expresses his personal preference for deeper player agency over GTA's mission-instance approach. Colantonio looks forward to Grand Theft Auto 6 to see how Rockstar pushes its instant simulation further.
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.
"Do questions like that create a self-fulfilling prophecy?”: Dishonored director Harvey Smith on the fear of asking if immersive sims are dead
Dishonored director Harvey Smith, alongside fellow leads Ben Horne and Ricardo Bare, discusses the current state and future of immersive sims. Smith questions whether the constant questioning of the genre's viability creates a self-fulfilling prophecy, while Horne emphasizes focusing on creative vision rather than chasing trends. They acknowledge the success of titles like BioShock and Deus Ex, and Smith pushes back against the notion that first-person games don't sell.
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.
Evening Reading - August 19, 2026
This edition of Evening Reading covers various gaming news, including updates on Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Tekken 8, and Subnautica 2. It also highlights the launch of a new studio by former Arkane leads and mentions upcoming titles like Kingdom Hearts 4 and The Witcher 4. The article includes links to reviews and discussions on other internet content.
"Arkane was about to go under" before it committed to Dishonored, former lead says: "We had 4 months of…
Former Arkane Studios lead designer Harvey Smith revealed that the studio was close to closure before committing to the development of Dishonored. The studio was working on multiple projects with dwindling funds before refocusing on the immersive sim, which became a critical and commercial success. Smith has since co-founded a new studio, Black Pony Immersive, to continue making single-player immersive sim games.
Deus Ex and Dishonored designer Harvey Smith has a new studio making immersive sims
Harvey Smith, known for his work on Deus Ex and Dishonored, has co-founded a new studio called Black Pony Immersive. The studio aims to create immersive simulation games and features veteran talent from Arkane Studios, Insomniac Games, and Epic Games.
Former Arkane Studios leads Harvey Smith & Ben Horne launch Black Pony Immersive game studio
Former Arkane Studios leads Harvey Smith and Ben Horne have launched a new game studio called Black Pony Immersive, which will focus on developing immersive simulation games. The studio aims to push the genre's limits, drawing on their experience with titles like Dishonored and Prey. Despite acknowledging challenging market conditions, the team is committed to creating ambitious games.
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 Director Announces New Studio, And Fans Should Be Very Excited
Veteran game developers Harvey Smith and Ben Horne have announced the formation of Black Pony Immersive, a new studio focused on creating first-person action-RPGs in well-realized worlds. Smith, a co-creator of the Dishonored series, aims to continue the legacy of immersive sims, a genre that has seen fewer releases in recent years. The studio will be based in Austin, Texas, the same location as Arkane Studios.
"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.
"We chose the worst time in history" – Harvey Smith on starting his own studio after Arkane
Former Arkane Studios director Harvey Smith has co-founded a new studio called Black Pony Immersive with Ben Horne, aiming to create immersive sim games. Smith acknowledges the challenging timing for starting a new studio due to the current game business landscape but expresses a desire to build games their way, focusing on player-driven experiences and creative tools. The studio has already reunited several former Arkane colleagues and is working on its first project.
You can now play the secret best immersive sim in coop thanks to this mod
A new mod called Prey Coop allows up to 16 players to experience Arkane Studios' immersive sim Prey together on PC. The mod synchronizes campaign progression, story choices, and world physics, though it is still in alpha with some known issues. This unofficial addition enables cooperative play for a game traditionally designed for solo experiences.
Thief designer says that the immersive sim audience is too small for AAA games: 'There's quite a few of us who…
Designer Randy Smith Evergreen, known for his work on Thief and System Shock 2, argues that the immersive sim genre is too small for AAA development. He believes that the increasing budgets and scope required for AAA games are misaligned with the niche audience for immersive sims, leading to commercial disappointments like Arkane's Dishonored 2 and Prey. Evergreen suggests that a more viable path for immersive sims is through smaller, AA or indie budgets, citing the original Thief's modest budget as a successful model.
Bethesda 40th anniversary sale knocks 50% off Doom: The Dark Ages - Revelations just a month after launch
Bethesda is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a major sale on Steam, featuring discounts of up to 67% on many of its titles, including subsidiaries id Software and Arkane Studios. Notably, the recently released Doom: The Dark Ages - Revelations expansion is 50% off, just one month after its launch. This sale occurs amidst recent layoffs at Bethesda Game Studios, Zenimax Online, and id Software, and concerns about Arkane Studios' future following Microsoft's acquisition.
10 expansions that were better than the actual game
This article ranks ten DLC expansions that are considered superior to their original base games. Titles like Dishonored's 'The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches,' Fallout: New Vegas's 'Old World Blues,' and Mass Effect 3's 'Citadel' are highlighted for their significant improvements and compelling content.
