Former Arkane Devs Form Black Pony Immersive to Create New Single-Player Immersive Sims

A group of immersive sim veterans have teamed up to establish Black Pony Immersive, a new development studio dedicated to carrying on the legacy of their prior work. Founded by Harvey Smith and Ben Horne, the studio was formed in the wake of Xbox closing the Texas-based Arkane Austin studio in 2024.

In an interview with The Game Business, Smith and Horne detailed their motivations and the studio's creative philosophy amid a challenging period of industry-wide layoffs. "It feels like to do something optimistic in the face of that is to be a dark horse," Smith explained, noting the team's desire to focus on what they love alongside trusted colleagues.

The newly formed Black Pony Immersive features several prominent Arkane Austin alumni. The roster includes design director Ricardo Bare, who previously worked on the original Deus Ex; worldbuilding director Karen Segars; and lead level designer Jeremy Catlin. Backed by this collective pedigree, the team is fully aligned on a single objective: developing narrative-driven, first-person, single-player immersive sims.

"We want to make immersive sims," Smith said. "We want to make single-player, narrative-driven, first person games where you explore and solve problems creatively. Think Deus Ex, think Dishonored, that’s what we're doing."