As part of an interview with The Game Business, it has been revealed that Arkane veterans Harvey Smith and Ben Horne have reunited to open a brand new studio, called Black Pony Immersive, with the aim of creating immersive sims, just like the ones they’ve been known for in the past.
Smith, who served as creative director for both Dishonored games, is credited as a lead designer on iconic immersive sims Deus Ex and Thief: Deadly Shadows, so his know-how within the genre is going to be immeasurable for the small studio of 26 staff, who’ve already been hard at work for a whole year on a new project.
Joining Smith and Horne is also Ricardo Bare, who served as a writer for several of Arkane Austin’s titles including Dishonored, Prey, and Redfall.
Not much is known of the studio or what they’re working on, outside of genre, but their mission statement on their otherwise blank website reads:
“Black Pony Immersive exists to design and develop imaginative, narrative-rich games set in well-realized worlds, where players create their own memorable experiences with expressive, emergent game systems.
Through the looking glass, we’re chasing a dream of mystery, meaning, and creative play.”