Harvey Smith and Ben Horne Discuss Immersive Sims and Their New Studio Black Pony Immersive
Former Arkane Studios leaders Harvey Smith and Ben Horne appear on the Game Developer Podcast to explain why immersive sims remain worth making and how they plan to build the genre at their independent studio Black Pony Immersive.
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Harvey Smith and Ben Horne, co‑founders of the newly formed Black Pony Immersive, joined the latest episode of the Game Developer Podcast to talk about the future of immersive sims.
Both designers previously led development at Arkane Studios, the studio behind Dishonored, Prey and Deathloop. In the conversation they outline the first principles that define the genre and describe the creative effort required to pursue it without the financial backing of large publishers such as Zenimax or Microsoft.
The episode, hosted by Bryant Francis, covers the challenges of launching an independent studio focused on first‑person action‑RPG experiences that emphasize player agency, simulation depth and environmental storytelling.
Smith and Horne argue that the genre’s niche reputation does not diminish its value, and they detail how they intend to keep the design philosophy alive at Black Pony Immersive.
The podcast is released bi‑weekly and the new episode is available now on the Game Developer Podcast feed.
Sources
- Game DeveloperEstablished publication · recorded Oct 5, 2026Why it's still worth making immersive sims ft. Harvey Smith & Ben Horne