Harvey Smith, Ben Horne, and Ricardo Bare have formed Black Pony Immersive, an Austin-based studio focused on single-player immersive sims in the vein of Deus Ex and Dishonored. The announcement follows the 2024 closure of Arkane Austin after Redfall's troubled launch.

The founders have been explicit about steering clear of live-service mandates this time. In discussions with The Game Business, Smith noted the team got swept up in games-as-a-service trends during Redfall development, citing industry pressures, staffing issues, and the pandemic as contributing factors to its difficulties. The new studio currently employs 26 full-time staff, drawing from Arkane, Insomniac, Epic, Avalanche, and Volition veterans.

Black Pony opened its doors last August and emphasizes player choice, exploration, and emergent systems without external publisher interference. No specific project has been detailed yet, though the team has stated ambitions for ambitious single-player first-person action RPGs. The broader industry context includes ongoing studio volatility at Microsoft and elsewhere.