Harvey Smith, co-creator of Dishonored and lead designer of the original Deus Ex, has revealed his next move: Black Pony Immersive, a 26-person studio of mostly former Arkane staff built to make single-player immersive sims. The studio has been quietly running for just over a year and is funded by an unnamed publisher, per Video Games Chronicle.
Smith is CEO and creative director. He is joined by Ricardo Bare, his collaborator since the Deus Ex days and lead designer on Prey, as design director, and Ben Horne, who produced the NBA 2K series at 2K before becoming Arkane’s production director, as COO and executive producer.
The wider team carries credits across Deus Ex, Dishonored, Prey and Just Cause, with alumni of Arkane, Insomniac, Epic, Avalanche and Volition. Everyone is based in the US, centralised in Austin.
The name is the pitch. “Black Pony” is the dark horse — Smith calls the whole venture an act of rebellion against an industry in turmoil. “Immersive” is there because that is the genre, no hedging required.
“We’re going to fall back on what we love. We’re going to work with the people we love. We’re going to have fun doing it.”
Harvey Smith, CEO and creative director, Black Pony Immersive
Horne frames the strategy the same way:
“We don’t really know what turn the industry might take, and we’re probably not going to be very good at trend chasing. And so, our best shot is to rally around a creative vision that excites us as developers. It excites the audience that we know wants to play this kind-of game. That’s the best chance of making something great.”
Ben Horne, COO and executive producer, Black Pony Immersive
Smith has heard the counter-argument before, from well-paid people with strong opinions. “First-person games don’t sell”, “RPGs are a niche market”, “if you’re not working on a free-to-play game now, in five years you’ll be out of a job” — he lists the predictions in an interview with The Game Business. “I’ve heard smart, good people, friends of mine in executive positions, say these things over the years, and sometimes they’re right. But what Ben said, going back to what you love with a strong vision, that often comes through for us, so that’s what we have got to do.”
What we know about Black Pony Immersive
The funding is milestone-based rather than a lump sum. “We’re funded in a real sense for 26 people, but it’s not a giant bag of money. It’s ongoing gates,” Smith said. The first year’s gates were passed; the second funding round is the next hurdle. No game, platforms or release window have been announced.
The team is essentially Arkane Austin’s old band, reunited. Microsoft shut the studio down in 2024 after Redfall’s poor reception, per our earlier coverage. The same week this studio was announced, Warren Spector — Deus Ex creator and Smith’s one-time boss — said he was retiring. One immersive sim legend is leaving the industry; another is betting his new studio on it.
Who is Harvey Smith?
A 30-year veteran of game design, credited as lead designer on Deus Ex, co-creative director on Dishonored, creative director on Dishonored 2 and director on Prey. He spent 16 years at Arkane Studios before Microsoft closed its Austin studio in 2024.
What is Black Pony Immersive working on?
Single-player, narrative-driven first-person action RPGs in the immersive sim tradition — the team describes games in the vein of Deus Ex and Dishonored. No title, platforms or release window have been announced.
Why did Arkane Austin close?
Microsoft shut down Arkane Austin in 2024, a year after the studio’s co-op shooter Redfall launched to a poor reception. The studio was reportedly pitching an immersive sim before its closure.
