Are Immersive Sims Dead? Harvey Smith's New Studio Answers the Genre's Future

What Is Harvey Smith's New Immersive Sim Studio?

Harvey Smith's new immersive sim studio is a newly created game development studio solely dedicated to the immersive sim genre, founded by Dishonored director Harvey Smith, an Arkane veteran, along with fellow leads Ben Horne and Ricardo Bare. The studio was announced in August in direct response to the recurring question of whether the immersive sim genre is dead. The studio solves the problem of whether triple-A immersive sim development remains viable.

The announcement follows an earlier August statement from one of the original designers behind Thief: The Dark Project, who shared his feelings on developing immersive sims at triple-A scale, "coming to the conclusion it doesn't really work."

Harvey Smith's new studio, led by Smith, Ben Horne, and Ricardo Bare, is an organization entirely dedicated to the immersive genre and was announced in August alongside the Thief: The Dark Project designer's conclusion that triple-A immersive development "doesn't really work."

Key Facts

Are Immersive Sims Dead?

Immersive sims are at the center of a recurring question that one Thief: The Dark Project designer says at triple-A scale "doesn't really work." Harvey Smith, Ben Horne, and Ricardo Bare — the leads of a new immersive sim-focused studio — are addressing that same "evergreen" question, according to the source. The source gives no definitive yes-or-no answer, instead framing the question itself as a subject of debate.

In August, industry conversation focused on whether the genre survives. One original Thief: The Dark Project designer contributed a position against triple-A work, and the next day a new studio announced its entire focus on immersive genres.

The evergreen question: are imsims dead?

— Rock Paper Shotgun

The source cites "the evergreen question: are imsims dead?" as a recurring debate, but does not report a definitive yes-or-no conclusion from Smith's team.

Why Does a Thief Designer Say Triple-A Immersive Sims Don't Really Work?

One of the original designers behind Thief: The Dark Project "shared his feelings on developing imsims at triple-A scale, coming to the conclusion it doesn't really work," according to the source. This is the position that sparked the August conversation about the genre's viability and the practical challenges of making immersive sims at budget levels.

This statement was followed by the new studio announcement from Harvey Smith, with fellow leads Ben Horne and Ricardo Bare.

"...it doesn't really work"

— One of the original designers behind Thief: The Dark Project, on triple-A immersive sim development

A Thief: The Dark Project designer concluded that triple-A immersive sim development "doesn't really work," which is the core background of the genre's survival debate.

Do Questions Like "Are Immersive Sims Dead?" Create a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy?

The source article is titled "Do questions like that create a self-fulfilling prophecy?" and concerns the fear of asking if immersive sims are dead. The article questions whether the simple act of asking whether the genre is dying could itself damage the genre's future, by discouraging developers from investing in it and readers from engaging with it.

Harvey Smith, through his new studio's announcement, is directly engaging with the question, which was previously framed as an "evergreen" concern. The source identifies Smith and his new studio as the participants in this specific industry discussion.

The article's headline asks whether the question "are immersive sims dead?" creates a self-fulfilling prophecy, since asking the question could discourage development and bring about the genre's death.

Who Is This Studio For?

This studio is intended for fans of the immersive sim genre, including players of Dishonored, which Smith directed, and Thief: The Dark Project, whose designer shared the triple-A statement. It also serves industry professionals, developers, and analysts who study the future of the immersive game design and the viability of triple-A development. The studio's existence is itself a signal to that community.

The studio serves fans of Dishonored and Thief: The Dark Project, plus industry observers who track whether immersive sims can survive at triple-A scale.

Common Questions

Are immersive sims dead?

The source provides no definitive answer. It presents the question as the "evergreen" question, answered by Harvey Smith, Ben Horne, and Ricardo Bare, the leads of the new studio, in the context of their announcement.

Does asking if immersive sims are dead create a self-fulfilling prophecy?

The source article asks this exact question in its headline. The piece suggests that treating immersive sims as dead could itself shrink investment and player attention, potentially making the death of the genre a reality.

What is Harvey Smith known for in the immersive sim world?

Harvey Smith is the director of Dishonored and a veteran of Arkane. In the source, he revealed his new studio that is entirely dedicated to immersive sims, alongside fellow leads Ben Horne and Ricardo Bare.

Sources and Methodology

This article is based on a single source: the Rock Paper Shotgun article titled "Do questions like that create a self-fulfilling prophecy? Dishonored director Harvey Smith on the fear of asking if immersive sims are dead," published at https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/do-questions-like-that-create-a-self-fulfilling-prophecy-dishonored-director-harvey-smith-on-the-fear-of-asking-if-immersive-sims-are-dead.

The source material is a news summary that referenced a previous article about Thief: The Dark Project's triple-A statement and Harvey Smith's studio announcement. This article synthesizes only the content present in that source material. Facts not present in the source are marked as unknown.

This article was last updated on June 27, 2025.