Dishonored director Harvey Smith has created a brand-new studio with the sole purpose of creating new single-player immersive sims, which is bound to be good news for fans of some of Arkane’s best games. Harvey Smith brought the Dishonored series to life and even assisted with Prey‘s development, but his resume stretches far beyond that. Before joining Arkane, he was also the lead game designer for Deux Ex and the creative director for its sequel, Deux Ex: Invisible War. That’s definitely a solid portfolio, and his work has shown that he is gifted at crafting immersive sims.
Smith spoke with Game Informer to share some insight into what this brand-new studio has in store. The company is called Black Pony Immersive, which is a title that makes it clear that Smith and the rest of the team are striving to make the next great immersive sim. Immersive sim games like Dishonored and Prey are special, and there haven’t really been many titles that have been able to replicate what makes these games such amazing takes on the subgenre. What’s even more intriguing about Black Pony Immersive is that it’s coming at a time when the industry is in need of more fresh, original single-player projects.
Harvey Smith and Black Pony Immersive Might Be Part of a Single-Player Game Renaissance
Don’t get me wrong. I know that there have been plenty of great single-player games over the past decade, but the immersive sims have been far and few between. Games like God of War and The Last of Us Part 2 have shown that story-driven single-player games are alive and well, but it’s hard to find a game that feels quite like Dishonored.
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From the lore to the gameplay, Dishonored is one of those games I wish I could replay for the first time all over again. The level of player freedom that Dishonored allows is still impressive, and it’s incredibly exciting that Harvey Smith is coming back to bring something new to gamers. What makes the gameplay so good is that it encourages creative thinking, which turns the entire world into a playground. This, on top of Dishonored‘s Chaos system that serves as the overarching honor meter, tasks players with carefully considering each decision.
Some of the best immersive sims in the industry come from Smith’s time with Arkane. Reminiscing about the past is fun, but looking at Smith and Black Pony Immersive’s future is even more intriguing. When discussing the studio’s goals with Game Informer, Smith had even more exciting words to share.
This effort reflects everything we’ve learned, and all we hold dear. My favorite gaming memories come from seeing players approach challenges with creativity, deep-diving into our world building. We try to reward players for their curiosity and exploration. At our new studio, we’re building exactly the kind of single-player games we’re most passionate about.
As the Live-Service Era Comes to an End, Black Pony Immersive Arrives at Best Possible Time
Despite there not really being a shortage of great single-player games, the past decade has been largely defined by live-service titles. Now, it seems like Fortnite‘s reign is slowing down, and gamers are craving even more single-player stories. Features like microtransactions and the constant race for developers to try and keep things exciting and fresh have led to some serious live-service fatigue. Trends come and go, so the sun setting on the live-service hype isn’t anything new. It makes thinking about the next big wave highly compelling, though.
Black Pony Immersive’s First Game Is Being Kept a Secret, But Dishonored Is a Fun Taste of What the Studio Is Capable Of
The only details that Smith really shared about Black Pony Immersive were the impressive team that he had gathered together. Smith’s studio is made up of many talented industry veterans. While Smith takes on the role of CEO, fellow ex-Arkane dev Ben Horne will be at his side as COO. Beyond these two, the rest of the Black Pony Immersive team is made up of devs from Avalanche Studios, Epic Games, Volition, and Insomniac Games. Even though Smith remained tight-lipped about the studio’s debut project, Dishonored offers a little insight into what Black Pony Immersive could potentially include in the game.
Dishonored’s Key Features That Black Pony Immersive Is Likely to Replicate
- Emergent gameplay
- Deep and layered level design
- Emphasis on player agency
- Gameplay that encourages creative thinking
- Honor system mechanics
- Rich environmental storytelling
I’m speculating here, but these are all core features that make for a strong immersive sim. Since this is a new studio after all, it’s hard to say if Black Pony Immersive’s first game will nail the immersive sim formula or not, but having so many industry veterans on board is a promising sign. Live-service games might be a great way to keep one title going and relevant for years, but a lot of gamers out there simply want something different now.
Sony has been trying to become the go-to live-service publisher, but the company has been unsuccessful at making that happen. Recent reports from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier claim that Sony-owned studio Guerrilla Games is rebooting Horizon Hunters Gathering. The project was intended to be a live-service Horizon spin-off, but Schreier’s report alleges that the live-service aspect is being removed entirely.
Also, one of the big reasons why live-service games have been so popular for the past decade is because these titles appealed to a younger demographic. Now that many of those gamers have become adults since Fortnite first launched, a solid chunk of that crowd is craving a deeper gaming experience. Live-service games going out of style create the perfect opportunity for new game studios like Black Pony Immersive and its single-player sim to swoop in and claim the spotlight.
Between Sony’s live-service push struggling for years to take off and recent games like Highguard launching and being shut down within 45 days because of lack of interest, it’s clear that a new trend is ready to take hold. Games are one of the best storytelling mediums out there, and it would be great to see more original and immersive single-player experiences added to the mix. Now that Black Pony Immersive has arrived to the party, it’s going to be fascinating to see how the studio plans to follow up Smith’s stellar portfolio.
- Released
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October 9, 2012
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 3
