Harvey Smith launches Black Pony Immersive in Austin

Harvey Smith launched Black Pony Immersive in Austin, Texas, with longtime collaborator Ben Horne. Smith will serve as CEO and creative director; Horne will serve as chief operating officer and executive producer. The company said it will develop single-player, first-person action role-playing games that allow players to tackle challenges in multiple ways.

Smith described the studio’s aim as “make single-player first-person action RPGs set in these rich worlds where players are empowered to solve problems however they want.”

Smith and Horne worked together for eight years at Arkane Austin. Smith’s career includes work as lead game designer on Deus Ex and creative roles on Dishonored, Dishonored 2 and Redfall. Horne held production roles on the same team.

Arkane Austin closed in 2024 during a corporate restructuring at Xbox.

Black Pony’s team includes developers who worked on Deus Ex, Prey, Just Cause and Dishonored and includes staff from Insomniac, Epic, Avalanche and Volition. The studio is based in Austin and is recruiting developers across the United States.

Black Pony Immersive has not announced its first project or a release date.