"Do questions like that create a self-fulfilling prophecy?”: Dishonored director Harvey Smith on the fear of asking if immersive sims are dead
It appears that August is the month for having thoughts on the success of immersive sims! Earlier this month, one of the original designers behind Thief: The Dark Project shared his feelings on developing imsims at triple-A scale, coming to the conclusion it doesn't really work . Just yesterday, Arkane veteran and Dishonored director Harvey Smith revealed his new studio that's entirely dedicated…
Harvey Smith, director of Dishonored, has launched a new studio called Black Pony Immersive with executive producer Ben Horne. The studio aims to design and develop first-person action RPGs with emergent game systems, allowing players to approach challenges creatively. According to Smith, the studio's goal is to reward players for their curiosity and exploration.
Smith's new studio features a development team built around personnel from Arkane, Insomniac, Epic, Avalanche, and Volition, including his long-time collaborator Ricardo Bare. The studio's focus on immersive sims comes at a time when the genre is considered to be in a rough place.
When asked if immersive sims are dead, Smith expressed concern that questions like that could create a self-fulfilling prophecy. He emphasized that his favorite gaming memories come from seeing players approach challenges with creativity and deep-diving into world-building, which his studio aims to encourage.
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