'Dishonored' Veteran Harvey Smith Announces New Studio
Overview & Key Takeaways
Harvey Smith and former Arkane Austin developers have launched Black Pony Immersive, a new studio focused on first-person action RPGs and immersive si
Harvey Smith, the former Arkane developer behind some of gaming’s most influential immersive sims, is starting over with a new studio. Smith has spent more than three decades working in games, serving as lead designer on the original Deus Ex before joining Arkane Studios, where he co-directed Dishonored and later served as creative director on Dishonored 2. More recently, Smith and Horne worked together at Arkane Austin, the studio behind Prey and Redfall that Microsoft shut down in 2024.
On Wednesday, Smith and longtime collaborator Ben Horne announced Black Pony Immersive, an Austin-based developer focused on creating single-player, first-person action RPGs built around player choice, exploration, and emergent systems.
“During a time of industry volatility, I'm proud to announce the next step in my video game journey with the reveal of our new studio,” Smith said in a press release. “At our new studio, we're building exactly the kind of single-player games we're most passionate about.”
Black Pony isn’t just Smith and Horne, either. The studio says its team includes developers who previously worked at Arkane, Insomniac, Epic, Avalanche, and Volition, including Smith’s longtime collaborator Ricardo Bare. Collectively, members of the team have credits on games including Deus Ex, Dishonored, Prey, and Just Cause.
The announcement also puts another prominent developer back to work on the immersive sim at an interesting moment for the genre. Deus Ex creator Warren Spector announced his retirement from game development this week after nearly 44 years in the industry, closing one chapter in the history of a genre built around giving players unusual freedom to solve problems.
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Image: Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Image: Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Smith, meanwhile, appears interested in carrying that philosophy forward. Black Pony describes its games as narrative-rich experiences set in detailed worlds where players can experiment with interconnected systems rather than simply follow one prescribed path. That approach has defined much of Smith’s career. Even Dishonored grew out of Arkane’s unsuccessful attempts to develop new Thief and Blade Runner games before those ideas evolved into the original property that eventually launched in 2012.
Black Pony hasn’t revealed its first game yet, so there are still plenty of unknowns, including its title, setting, platforms, or release window. But Horne is making the studio’s ambitions pretty clear.
“This group has worked together for years, decades in some cases, and is purpose-built to make the ambitious games we love — immersive sims,” Horne said. “We can’t wait to reveal more soon.”
