Harvey Smith & Ben Horne Create Black Pony Immersive

Two former Arkane veterans have announced the creation of a new studio, Black Pony Immersive, with a clear mission: building single-player first-person games that lean on narrative and creative problem-solving. The company’s founders—Harvey Smith and Ben Horne—say they’re reacting to an industry that has felt increasingly pessimistic in recent years, while still aiming to make something optimistic and enjoyable with the kind of people they want to work with.

Smith and Horne’s announcement comes after major closures hit parts of the Arkane and Tango teams in 2024, leaving many of the developers involved to wonder what would happen next. The founders point to the contrast they’ve seen across the industry, noting that some creators have been able to regroup, while others have had a harder time. In their view, the broader situation has pushed many colleagues to consider moving on from the industry altogether.

In conversation about getting the team together and what they’re already working on, Smith described the mood as one where developers are “dropping like flies,” and where people are doing everything they can to support one another. He also argued that even within publishing, there isn’t much joy about where the industry is headed—an environment that, for some, makes it feel like it would take real effort to respond with optimism. Smith said that instead of trying to chase the wrong kind of momentum, Black Pony Immersive will focus on what they enjoy, and on working with the team they want to build with. “It feels like making something optimistic in that atmosphere is like being a buzzkill,” he said, while stressing that their plan is to create first-person single-player experiences and to have fun doing it.

The studio’s initial team is made up of former Arkane employees, bringing experience from major immersive titles. The lineup includes Ricardo Bare, formerly associated with Deus Ex, now serving as director of design; Karen Segars as director of world; and Jeremy Catlin as chief director of levels. The studio’s intended first project is described as an immersive first-person single-player simulator designed to be “good,” with Smith saying the goal is to create systems where players explore, solve problems creatively, and experience strong narrative direction.

Black Pony Immersive says its creative target is familiar to anyone who enjoyed immersive stealth and action role-playing. Smith explicitly compares the studio’s direction to Deus Ex and Dishonored, framing their upcoming work as first-person narrative games built around discovery and creative problem-solving.

While the studio’s overall focus has been outlined, the announcement also highlights that players are still waiting on the identity of Black Pony Immersive’s first game.