After Microsoft shut down Arkane Austin, one of the most influential figures in the genre is back with a new project. Harvey Smith, the co-founder of landmark titles such as Deus Ex and Dishonored, co-founded Black Pony Immersive with producers Ben Horne and developers such as Ricardo Bare. The team has been working backstage in Austin, Texas since mid-2025 on an unannounced first production. Despite the current difficulties facing the gaming industry, the 26-person team remains steadfast in its passion: developing complex, reactive first-person action role-playing games and immersive simulation games.
The new studio is built on decades of industry experience and trusted collaboration. In addition to co-founder Ben Horne, who previously served as executive producer at Arkane, Ricardo Bare, lead designer on Prey and co-lead on Deus Ex, is also part of the Black Pony Immersive team. The team is primarily made up of former employees from well-known studios like Arkane Austin and Ion Storm, and they’ve proven in the past how much gameplay depth they can squeeze from highly complex systems.
In a statement, Harvey Smith justified the move to build a new studio at a difficult time for the industry. Despite rumors and skepticism from some publishers, he insists the immersive sim genre is definitely possible. Smith points out that series like Dishonored are commercially successful. He believes the fact that some people today classify this type as financial risk is a self-fulfilling prophecy. As an independent studio, Black Pony can now develop exactly the handcrafted single-player game the team is passionate about, without the heavy pressure of corporate expectations.
The developers are currently keeping the first concrete details about the debut project under wraps. What is certain, however, is that the game follows the principles of classic immersive simulation games: players should be provided with a vivid, highly reactive game world where creativity, curiosity, and different solutions are rewarded through expressive game mechanics. Fans of the genre can look forward to a fresh, uncompromising single-player experience.