Former Arkane Devs Found Black Pony Immersive for Singleplayer Sims

Harvey Smith and Ben Horne, two veterans of Arkane Austin’s most celebrated work, have announced Black Pony Immersive, a new independent studio staffed largely by former Arkane developers and pointed squarely at the singleplayer immersive sim genre.

A Studio Born From Closure

Arkane Austin was shut down by Microsoft in 2024, leaving a team behind Dishonored and other well-regarded titles without a home. Rather than scatter, Smith and Horne chose to regroup. As GamesRadar reports, Smith described the decision as an act of defiance against an industry that has spent recent years grinding through layoffs and studio closures. “It feels like a sea of doom and gloom the last few years, so many of our colleagues suffering, developers falling left and right,” he said in an interview with The Game Business. His answer to that climate was to lean into what the team knows best. “We’re going to fall back on what we love. We’re going to work with the people we love. We’re going to have fun doing it.”

The Arkane Austin closure was one of the more striking casualties of Xbox’s restructuring period, coming after the studio shipped Redfall, a game that struggled commercially and critically. GameSpot has previously detailed what went wrong with that project from the perspective of those involved.

The Team and the Vision

Black Pony Immersive carries serious genre credentials. Joining Smith and Horne are Ricardo Bare, who has credits on the original Deus Ex and steps in as design director; Karen Segars, serving as worldbuilding director; and Jeremy Catlin, lead level designer. As PC Gamer notes, the studio name itself signals the intent, with the word “Immersive” baked right in.

Smith was direct about the creative direction. “We want to make immersive sims. We want to make single-player, narrative-driven, first person games where you explore and solve problems creatively. Think Deus Ex, think Dishonored, that’s what we’re doing.” The studio is already at work on its first game, though no title or release window has been announced.

A Genre at a Crossroads

The timing carries some weight for fans of the genre. As Video Games Chronicle points out, Warren Spector, the designer most closely associated with the original Deus Ex, recently announced his retirement, leaving a visible gap in immersive sim leadership. GameSpot has also covered the announcement with enthusiasm from the fan community, reflecting the appetite for this style of game at a moment when the AAA space has largely moved away from it.

Black Pony Immersive has not yet confirmed a publisher, funding structure, or platforms for its debut project.

Sources: GamesRadar, PC Gamer, GameSpot, Video Games Chronicle, GameSpot