Arkane Austin Veterans Launch Black Pony Immersive Studio

Former Arkane Austin developers have launched Black Pony Immersive, a new US-based studio focused on first-person action RPGs and immersive sims. The company was quietly founded in August 2025 and is now going public with a 26-person team led by Dishonored veteran Harvey Smith and former Redfall production director Ben Horne, while work is already underway on an unannounced single-player, narrative-driven project.

Black Pony Immersive arrives two years after Microsoft closed Arkane Austin in 2024, ending the run of a studio closely associated with Dishonored, Prey, and most recently Redfall. The new company is led by Harvey Smith as CEO and creative director, with Ben Horne serving as COO and executive producer.

Smith said the studio reflects the team's long experience and shared priorities. "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," he said. "This effort reflects everything we've learned, and all we hold dear."

Horne framed the studio around a specific design tradition. "This group has worked together for years, decades in some cases, and is purpose-built to make the ambitious games we love, immersive sims," he said.

The team includes developers with credits not only at Arkane, but also at Insomniac, Avalanche, Volition, and Epic. Among the named hires are Ricardo Bare, known for his design work on the Deus Ex series alongside Smith, and Monte Martinez, whose background includes Ion Storm and WolfEye. Black Pony said all full-time staff are based in the United States, with contractors and external development support spread internationally.

That structure matters because it places Black Pony among a growing number of mid-sized independent teams trying to preserve a style of game design that has become harder to finance through large publishers. Immersive sims, in particular, have a devoted audience but a mixed commercial history, despite their strong influence on modern action RPGs, stealth games, and systemic sandbox design.

Black Pony's first project has not been announced, but the studio said it is building a single-player game with a strong narrative focus and emergent mechanics. That description lines up closely with the team's past work, especially games that rely on player choice, environmental interaction, and overlapping systems rather than strictly scripted solutions.

The company's quiet start also suggests a cautious approach to the current market. Black Pony opened its doors in August 2025 and spent roughly a year operating before making its existence public. That timing comes during an extended period of layoffs, closures, and funding pressure across game development, especially for studios outside the live service and mobile sectors.

Horne said the founders were selective about how the company would be financed, even in a difficult fundraising climate. "We turned down some deals that just didn't feel right," he said. "You know, 'hey, if you guys are willing to maybe think about this NFT blockchain situation...' As much [as we wanted] to get this off the ground, let's try to do it the right way."

Smith also said the studio benefits from not needing broad outside approval for every decision, which gives the team room to move quickly. For a veteran-led studio making a single-player immersive sim, that kind of independence may prove just as important as the headcount.

Black Pony Immersive has not shared platforms, a release window, or a title for its debut game. What it has made clear is the lane it wants to occupy: first-person action RPGs built by developers who spent years defining that space in the first place.