Former Bethesda and Arkane Devs Reunite to Create a New Immersive Sim

Former Arkane and Bethesda developers reunite at Black Pony Immersive to create focused single-player experiences built around player freedom.

While the immersive sim model may still be found in fragments in games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, the genre is getting harder and harder to find in the AAA sector. NPC schedules, behavior patterns, dynamic environments, exploration, and player choice. These are still popular components, but real AAA immersive simulations are becoming more and more rare.

This makes the formation of Black Pony Immersive quite noteworthy. The new startup, launched in August and presently has 26 employees, includes many former Bethesda and Arkane workers. Harvey Smith, Ricardo Bare, and other veteran colleagues have worked on some of the industry’s most acclaimed immersive sims.

But Black Pony isn’t the only ex-Arkane dev, with other well-respected members of the indie dev community also on the team. But the reunion of so many former collaborators lends the studio the feel of a gathering of people who helped build the genre.

Ricardo Bare’s credits include Dishonored, Deus Ex, Prey, Prey: Mooncrash, and Dishonored DLC. Harvey Smith was the creative director and main designer of Dishonored, Dishonored 2, and Deus Ex. Black Pony’s past work provides a remarkably good foundation for a studio focused on immersive simulators.

A reunited team combining decades of immersive simulation experience.

The founding of the studio also comes at a key time for the genre. Arkane Austin has closed following the troubled launch of Redfall, and the future of Arkane Lyon has also been in question. Meanwhile, Warren Spector, widely considered to be one of the defining personalities of the genre, has announced his retirement.

However, despite these hurdles, many senior developers continue to chase immersive simulations. Raphael Colantonio, another major figure behind Prey, is working with WolfEye Studios on a new RPG, but Black Pony is working on its own project with a smaller team and greater creative flexibility.

Smith has made it clear that he is still interested in immersive simulations. Asked if he felt responsible for pushing the genre forward, he said, "I'll do it as long as I can make games. Black Pony seems to have a very good match between its aim and its worldview. The studio is learning from the hard lesson of Redfall, too.

Smith knew the project was a tough one, and the team got caught up in the games-as-service drive. The business tried to blend their talents with live-service mechanics, character classes, and day-and-night systems but eventually stepped away from what the devs excelled at.

Black Pony wants artistic freedom without the layers of corporate interference.

Despite Redfall’s failed launch, the team was able to spend another year on the game fixing thousands of flaws. The coders, after being laid off, finished version 1.4 and asked MS for permission to release it, Smith says. Microsoft relented and let a few ex-employees come back momentarily to ship the upgrade.

Smith said the episode was a lesson for a Black Pony on what not to do. The new studio is purposely small and distant and aims to cut down on top-down involvement. Smith also emphasized the value of making perks such as health care available, especially for a small company. The studio is going back to the creative formula that defines its best games.

The most important thing to learn is where the team’s strengths lie. “I like to make games that are experiences where you’re a little bit weak, but you have creative tools, a setting for exploration, a player-driven pace, and a single-player story,” Smith said. He thinks the squad kept that strategy and got the greatest outcomes.

The mentality could make Black Pony’s upcoming project especially interesting. The company looks to be committed to focusing on the kinds of games that its developers know best rather than chasing the latest industry developments. A smaller crew could also help the creators keep a tighter hold of their artistic vision.

Yet there are still plenty of reasons to be wary. A studio packed with capable devs doesn't mean a great game is a sure thing, as the Redfall experience shows how hard large-scale production can be. Ultimately Black Pony will have to prove that its talent and independence can lead to a profitable venture.

Still, veteran developers remain positive about the genre’s future.

That's so, Black Pony Immersive is a step in the right direction for genre fans, at least for now. Ex-Bethesda and Arkane developers, who’ve been scattered around the industry, are coming back together with the specific goal of making a genuinely immersive sim.

The project has not been fully revealed yet; thus, the information about its premise, gameplay, release plans, and platforms is vague. Still, the team’s plan is clear: make a tight single-player experience, provide players powerful creative tools, and stick closely to the recipe that has worked for these devs.

After years of studio closures and mass layoffs across the industry, it’s incredible to see so many talented devs band together behind a genre that they truly care about. Black Pony has yet to find its niche, but its approach is a beacon of hope for immersive sims outside of the traditional AAA paradigm.