The gaming industry is not only experiencing layoffs and team closures. There is also positive news — two new game development studios have been announced.
Dishonored 2
Black Pony Immersive
This studio was founded by some of the most renowned employees from Arkane Austin. We're talking about the lead game designer of Deus Ex and the creative director of both Dishonored games, Harvey Smith, and the lead game designer of Prey, Ricardo Bare.
In an interview with The Game Business, they revealed that Black Pony Immersive was formally launched a year ago, but it is only now being introduced to the public.
At Black Pony Immersive, Smith and Bare will stay true to their roots by continuing to develop immersive simulators.
“We want to create single-player narrative games with a first-person perspective, where players explore worlds and solve challenges creatively. Think Deus Ex, think Dishonored — that's what we're about,” explained Smith.
In their development process, Black Pony Immersive plans to adhere to a so-called "Hollywood approach." The studio itself will have a small number of employees (currently 26), but they will actively engage outsourcing teams in production.
Black Pony Immersive has already secured funding from an undisclosed publisher. The amount of money given remains undisclosed.
Pretty Cool Games
It was founded by former developers of Human Fall Flat from No Brakes Games. The list of founders includes Sitara Shefta, who previously served as the CEO of No Brakes Games, and the game's lead technical artist, Will Dudley.
Pretty Cool Games also plans to operate with a small team. Currently, it has only four employees, but they plan to expand to 10 over time.
The debut project of the new studio will be an AA game with realistic physics, allowing gamers to "express themselves." According to Shefta and Dudley, the team drew inspiration from the works of Hazelight (creators of It Takes Two and Split Fiction) and Nintendo, as well as from the Pink Panther comedy detective film series and Disney amusement parks.
Pretty Cool Games has received an undisclosed investment from Coreblazer, the investment subsidiary of the Chinese gaming company Hypergryph.