Hell yeah. At a time when the video game industry could use some good news, former Arkane Austin executive Harvey Smith and longtime collaborator Ben Horne formed Black Pony Immersive, a studio focused on creating narrative-rich first-person action RPGs. In other words: immersive simulations. This is the genre Smith is known for, as the designer of the original. Deus Ex and co-lead of the Dishonored series.
Horne has worked with Smith for eight years, most recently as production manager of Red fall at Arkane Austin. In addition, Red fall, prey And Dishonored Creative director Ricardo Bare is on board as design director of Black Pony Immersive. The new studio is staffed by veterans of Insomniac, Epic, Avalanche and Volition studios, and is based in Austin, Texas, with remote workers coming from across the United States.
The announcement of the new studio comes at an opportune time. It’s been a tumultuous summer for the video game industry, marked by a series of devastating layoffs and studio shakeups at Xbox in July. As part of the purge, Xbox plans to close Arkane Studios and cancel the Blade game she was working on, but for now, the fate of this team remains in the hands of the French authorities.
Arkane Studios contains the remains of the old crew of Smith and Horne. Smith was the leader of Arkane Austin until Xbox shut it down in 2024, just three years after purchasing it. Smith also worked with the godfather of immersive simulations, Warren Spector, on Deus Ex – and Spector announced his retirement from creating video games this week. It really seems like there’s a Black Pony Immersive-sized hole in the industry right now.
While it’s unclear exactly what Black Pony is working on, the team’s goal is clear: immersive simulations, rich original worlds, emergent gameplay. Not only is the studio’s title “immersive,” but its website ends with the phrase “Through the looking glass, we pursue a dream of mystery, meaning, and creative play.” This is a not-so-subtle reference to Looking Glass Studios, a team that defined first-person action role-playing games in the 1990s with the System Shock, Thief, and Ultima Underworld franchises.
Smith said the following in a press release announcing Black Pony Immersive:
“At a time of industry volatility, I’m proud to announce the next step in my gaming journey with the reveal of our new studio. This effort reflects everything we’ve learned and everything we hold dear. My favorite gaming memories come from seeing players tackle challenges creatively, diving deep into our world-building. We’re trying to reward players for their curiosity and exploration. In our new studio, we’re building exactly the kind of single-player games we’re most excited about.”
