Harvey Smith, an Arkane veteran and creative director of Dishonored, is launching Black Pony Immersive, a new studio dedicated to immersive simulations.

The studio has 26 employees, including several former Arkane staff members. Smith is joined by Ricardo Bare and Ben Horne, also Arkane veterans, who bring extensive experience in game development.

Black Pony Immersive aims to focus on immersive sims, rather than following market trends or betting on genres considered to be in vogue. Smith explains that he has seen many industry predictions turn out to be wrong and therefore prefers to return to the genres and concepts he knows best. The team believes its best chance for success is to uphold a strong creative vision by developing games that truly excite them.

This new venture comes after Microsoft shut down Arkane Austin in 2024, following Redfall being scrapped down. Ironically, Arkane Austin was reportedly working on an immersive sim project right before it closed; Black Pony thus appears to be breathing new life into this approach.