In a recent discussion about the future of immersive sims, Randy Smith Evergreen, a designer known for Thief, proposed that these games should consider scaling down their budgets. He argues that the audience for immersive sims is relatively small, making it challenging for them to compete in a big-budget landscape filled with AAA titles. On the contrary, Harvey Smith, a former director at Arkane and now founder of Black Pony Immersive, believes that immersive sims can thrive at any budget level, asserting that a well-funded project can yield successful titles like Deus Ex and Dishonored.
Despite these differing views, both designers agree on the necessity of finding a budget “sweet spot.” Too small a budget could compromise the complexity that makes immersive sims appealing, while excessive spending can lead to over-conservative design choices, stifling creativity. Smith highlighted the importance of player agency and unpredictability in gameplay, citing emergent interactions in Deus Ex.
The conversation also touches on the pressures that come with big budgets, particularly illustrated by Arkane’s experience with Dishonored 2 and other projects that didn’t meet publisher expectations, leading to studio struggles. Both designers express excitement for future immersive sims that have the freedom to innovate without heavy corporate constraints, with Smith’s new studio particularly generating interest.
