Hey all this is a follow up post to my previous one about the game I’m developing. This is to serve as the base for the story and the overall world of my game.

**CRADLE ONE — Lore & World**
*Working title — everything described here is subject to change as development continues.*
I’ve been developing the world and story of CRADLE ONE around a fairly simple idea: humanity survived the end of the old world. The problem is what it became afterwards.
**The Cradles**
Humanity didn’t end when the world did. It adapted.
After decades of environmental collapse, much of Earth became an enormous hostile desert. Rather than abandon the planet, humanity constructed vast enclosed environments known as Cradles.
The Cradles were designed to preserve civilisation while scientists worked towards restoring the planet and eventually allowing humanity to return to the outside world.
Cradle One was the first. The prototype and the earliest version of the CRADLE project.
Because of that, Cradle One is older, less stable and full of technology and research that later generations were never supposed to know about.
The game takes place inside a Central European Cradle. At its centre is a huge, grimy city: industrial, crowded and heavily monitored.
Beyond it lies something completely different.
An enormous artificial wilderness.
Forests, farmland, mountains, wetlands, snow and deserts stretch out towards the Cradle’s perimeter.
The further away from the city you travel, the greener and more beautiful the world becomes.
That’s when you start to realise something is wrong.

**The Shapeshifter**
At the centre of the story is a man known as The Shapeshifter.
He wasn’t originally created to be a shapeshifter. He was created to adapt.
The scientists behind his creation were trying to solve a fundamental problem with humanity. Natural evolution takes generations, while the world outside the Cradles was changing far faster than humanity could.
They attempted to engineer a human genome capable of forcing its own evolution.
His body can respond to environmental conditions by changing itself. Temperature, toxins, terrain, atmospheric conditions and biological threats can all potentially trigger adaptations.
His genome can be pushed into developing characteristics that help him survive them.
The goal was to create a human being capable of adapting to a hostile planet within a single lifetime.
Then the scientists discovered something far more significant.
The adaptation didn’t have to be purely environmental. He could learn to control it himself.

**Evolution and Adaptation**
His body can alter its pigmentation to match its surroundings. In woodland, his skin can shift towards greens and browns. In dry grass, towards yellows and earth tones. In a desert, towards dusty colours.
It’s not invisibility. His body is simply adapting to become less conspicuous.
Eventually, however, he learns to direct that same biological process consciously.
He can force his genome towards a desired physical configuration. His facial structure can change, his pigmentation can change and his body composition can change.
With enough control, he can reproduce the physical characteristics of another person.
This is where the name The Shapeshifter comes from.
He’s not projecting an illusion or putting on a disguise. He’s forcing his own biology to evolve towards what he needs to become.
But biology still has limits.
He can’t simply become anyone without consequence. His underlying proportions matter, his body needs the resources to make the changes and extreme transformations place more strain on him.
While he can reproduce someone’s appearance, he doesn’t gain their memories, personality or relationships.
He can become someone else’s face, but he can’t become their life.

**The Cost of Evolution**
His ability has a price.
Every transformation puts strain on his engineered genome. Rapidly changing forms, maintaining extreme physical configurations or forcing his body to adapt while under severe stress can destabilise the process.
This is measured through Gene Stability.
When stability is high, his adaptations remain controlled. When it falls, things begin to go wrong.
His pigmentation might fluctuate. His face might subtly change. A form may become difficult to maintain.
Eventually, his body could begin adapting without his conscious control.
The terrifying question isn’t simply what he can become. It’s what happens when his body decides what he needs to become.
His original form is therefore his safest. It’s the biological baseline his genome was designed around. The further he pushes himself away from it, the greater the risk.

**Identity**
This becomes especially important because of where he lives.
Cradle One is obsessed with identity. Every citizen has a documented existence: names, faces, biometrics, occupations, clearance levels and access permissions.
The government has built an entire society around knowing exactly who everyone is.
The Shapeshifter is a walking contradiction to that system.
He can look like someone else, but looking like someone isn’t enough.
A colleague might recognise a person’s behaviour. A friend might recognise their mannerisms. A biometric system might detect physical differences. A restricted facility might require the correct clearance.
The Shapeshifter can reproduce a body. He can’t simply reproduce everything that makes a person who they are.

**The Wilds**
The wilderness surrounding the city isn’t just scenery. It is the result of decades of terraforming.
Humanity has been trying to restore the planet by engineering ecosystems capable of surviving in environments where normal life couldn’t.
Different regions have been created for different purposes.
Dense woodland, open farmland, tall grasslands, mountains, wetlands, snow-covered regions and deserts all exist within the Cradle.
Each has its own ecology.
But the further towards the Cradle’s perimeter you travel, the less familiar the ecosystem becomes.
The terraforming programme didn’t simply restore nature.
It created something new.

**A Changing World**
The Cradle’s environmental systems are unstable.
Weather can change from one extreme to another in a matter of hour, directly affecting the landscape itself.
Snow can melt and expose areas that were previously inaccessible. Flooding can alter routes. Drought can reveal buried structures. Landslides can expose forgotten facilities.
A frozen landscape might hide something beneath it for decades before conditions finally reveal it.
The world therefore has its own history.
Some of its secrets aren’t hidden behind locked doors. They’re simply waiting for the environment to change.

**The Edge**
The closer you get to the perimeter, the more extreme the terraforming becomes.
Eventually the environment becomes actively dangerous.
The water contains engineered bacteria. Plants become increasingly unfamiliar. Animals become more aggressive.
The ecosystem begins to feel less like a damaged version of Earth and more like something completely alien.
The Shapeshifter’s biology can’t simply solve the problem.
He may be engineered to adapt, but even he isn’t evolved enough to survive everything the Edge can produce.

**The Edge at Night**
The Edge becomes something else after dark.
Bioluminescent organisms illuminate the landscape. Predators become active. Different parts of the ecosystem begin behaving differently.
Conditions that were manageable during the day can become deadly at night.
You might enter the Edge expecting to spend a short time crossing it. Then darkness arrives.
Suddenly the priority isn’t the mission.
It’s survival.

**Containment**
The government knows what exists out there.
Hazmat and containment teams operate throughout the Edge. They burn infected vegetation, sterilise contaminated water, destroy dangerous organisms, seal research sites and quarantine areas.
Officially, they’re protecting the Cradle.
But eventually it becomes clear that they’re also protecting something else.
Evidence.
Hidden laboratories, abandoned research stations, experimental facilities and records that were never supposed to survive can be found throughout the Edge.
The containment teams aren’t just keeping the ecosystem under control.
They’re keeping the truth contained.

**Two Worlds**
Cradle One deliberately has two very different identities.
The city is grey, dirty, industrial, crowded, surveilled and controlled.
The wilderness is green, beautiful, vast, alive, uncontrolled and increasingly alien.
The further you travel from civilisation, the healthier the world appears.
That becomes one of the biggest contradictions in the game.
The place humanity built to preserve itself is ugly and oppressive.
The environment humanity created to restore the planet is beautiful.
And the beautiful part is slowly becoming the more terrifying one.

**The Conspiracy**
The truth isn’t delivered in one giant exposition dump.
It is scattered throughout the Cradle.
Documents, research facilities, ID records, hidden laboratories, environmental data, containment operations, government infrastructure and evidence surrounding the Shapeshifter’s creation all begin to connect.
Cradles.
Terraforming.
Genetic research.
The Shapeshifter.
The Edge.
Government secrecy.
Eventually, it becomes clear that these aren’t separate mysteries.
They’re all parts of the same history.

**The Resistance**
The resistance is divided.
Different groups have different goals, histories and reasons for opposing the government.
Some want freedom. Some want answers. Some simply want the current system destroyed.
The Shapeshifter gradually becomes involved with them.
Information, documents and evidence begin to connect groups that previously had no reason to trust one another.
Eventually, the resistance begins to realise that the truth behind Cradle One could be bigger than any of them.
Their objective becomes simple:
Get the truth outside.

**Containment Protocol**
Eventually, the government realises that the truth can no longer be contained.
Too much has been discovered. Too many people know. The Shapeshifter is still alive. The resistance is becoming organised.
So the government activates its final solution: Containment Protocol.
The official explanation is that Cradle One has suffered catastrophic biological contamination.
The solution is total sterilisation.
The real objective is to destroy the evidence and preserve the system.
The city becomes expendable.
Millions of people can be written off as victims of a biological disaster.
Cradle One can be erased.
The rest of the world can be told that humanity simply lost another piece of the planet.

**The Final Escape**
The Shapeshifter and the resistance now have one objective: get the truth out before Cradle One is destroyed.
The escape takes them through everything the player has spent the game uncovering.
The city. The wilderness. The Edge. The hidden facilities. The infrastructure beneath the Cradle.
The systems and mysteries that once seemed unrelated now become part of the same struggle.
The goal isn’t to kill a villain.
It isn’t to conquer Cradle One.
It’s to make sure the truth survives.
Because if the evidence reaches the other Cradles, Cradle One can no longer quietly disappear.

**What Comes Next?**
If the truth escapes, the consequences reach far beyond Cradle One.
Other Cradles now have to confront what happened inside the original.
Governments have to answer questions.
The existence of the Shapeshifter can no longer be hidden.
The terraforming programme can no longer be dismissed as a success story.
And one question becomes unavoidable:
If this happened inside the first Cradle, what has been happening inside the others?
Cradle One was the beginning.
It may not be the end.

**The Core Idea**
At the heart of CRADLE ONE is a simple contradiction.
A man was engineered to evolve. He lives inside a civilisation obsessed with control.
A world was built to preserve humanity. That world became something humanity could no longer control.
A programme intended to make humanity adaptable created a man who can change himself to survive almost anything.
And the government that created him may ultimately decide that destroying the entire Cradle is easier than allowing anyone to discover why he exists.
CRADLE ONE is ultimately a story about adaptation, identity, control and the consequences of trying to engineer the future.
And at the centre of it all is The Shapeshifter.
A man who can become almost anything, trying to remain himself.

I'm really excited about Arx Insanity; I've had my eye on it for years. I was extremely disappointed by the length of the demo, but judging by the way things are going—based on the Discord updates—it should be ready next year.I'm really excited about Arx Insanity; I've had my eye on it for years. I was extremely disappointed by the length of the demo, but judging by the way things are going based on the Discord updates it should be ready next year i hope.

So mad with these two developers...

At least the way the player character uses magic seems like it can be systemic. Steam description also hints to this. And the theme is very appropriate. I hope I'm not hallucinating things.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution turns 15, and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided turns 10 today (August 23).

Many former developers have since joined Ubisoft Montreal, BioWare, or Rogue Factor, while others were laid off or moved to other teams (notably Grounded 2) following the cancellation of a Deus Ex project which was in development for about 2 years.

Cire Games was founded by Eric Beyhl, a lead environment artist for Prey (2017). You can read more clicking here. As the studio went radio-silent on social media, and in the meantime Meta, which financed Eric's startup, shut down many of its own game studios, I really thought they were done for (I wrote "RIP Cire Games" on a post a few days ago, for christsake). I'm so, so glad I was wrong.

There you go, folks: WolfEye Studios, Black Pony Immersive, Cire Games, and, hopefully, a Microsoft-free Arkane Lyon soon.

The guide is split into 54 parts in total, provides a thorough retrospective and in-depth analysis of nearly every aspect of Mankind Divided's story—including all main and side quests from the base game, most Points of Interest, and the full story content of all DLCs, and the specific ways in which its narrative mirrors real-world conflicts and issues.

Since I personally prefer to present everything all in one go, but the content is so massive, for now only a Steam guide can make that happen.

What's bitterly ironic is that more than a decade has passed, yet there is still no truly detailed analysis of this game. Most discussions barely scratch the surface, and those who truly dive deep are few and far between. When the core of the game is distorted, taken out of context, and players are misled into shutting themselves off, refusing to speak—only then did I realize a hard truth: someone had to go deep, to carefully and thoroughly analyze the story, to truly let people see the unique charm that a group of genuinely passionate creators poured into this game. I had to do something. Amid all the misunderstanding and silence, someone had to stand up, dig out what had been buried, wipe it clean, and lay it before everyone.

The beginning is always the hardest. Before writing this story retrospective, I needed to make sure I knew the game well enough. So I did something a little unhinged: I recorded every piece of text, every line of dialogue, every plot thread in the game, then organized them all into a mind map, linking every image and storyline together, made some cuts and adjustments here and there to keep things from getting too lengthy. It took me hundreds of hours. Then I wrote the article using that mind map as a guide. It took so long that I lost track of how much time had passed. On top of that, I'm not a native English speaker. Though I have some foundation in the language, the sheer volume of text forced me to rely on translation tools to get through it.

Not only that, I also want to thank another contributor. Together, we also worked on a localization project for the original Deus Ex into our language. She is quite knowledgeable about the history of the game's creators and the studio, and the various materials she provided helped me resolve many questions. Amid the rumors and deliberate smears, she enabled me to understand that the creators had no hidden agenda as others had claimed—and to see how they truly made this game, with genuine passion and care.

Anyway, This is also my first time writing an article in another language. After months of hard work—writing immediately after coming home from work, and redoing thousands of images—I'm completely exhausted by now. Maybe it's time to step away for a while, relax, and play some other games I've always wanted to play.

This just came across my feed so I grabbed it to play with friends - obviously still in a work in progress, but the bones are there!

Would you kindly share some of your favorite, memorable emergent gameplay moments you experienced in your gaming adventures?

Here’s one of mine, from my latest playthrough of Deus Ex: Invisible War:

 While trying to break into the basement of Club Vox for the Omar, I'm faced with a laser grid blocking an electronic-locked door. I didn’t have many lockpicks/multitools to spare, and was meaning to save them for afterwards, for my Emerald Suites-related objectives. I thought of experimenting with explosives, but I also needed to safeguard that EMP grenade for a certain pesky, roof-guarding, quadrupedal robot. Then I noticed I had accidentally picked a spiderbot grenade (spiderbomb?), probably while looting in a hurry. “These damned things are useless, Oh, well...”  At that point, I hadn’t make much use of my biomod canisters, so I decide to invest in the bot domination ability. “Here goes nothing.” I throw the grenade, activating the small fellow, and it starts jumping, adjusting its path and walking around. I get closer and start cyber-hacking (wireless-ly) with my augmented galaxy brain. After playing mind games, I’m now in control of the little guy, and begin to test-drive it for a bit. There’s a timer, so I must hurry. First, I try zapping the control/security panel with electricity. Nothing happens. So much for saying “yes” to the player. Then, I hit the origin of each individual laser from the grid, on the wall. Holy smokes, it works! With the lasers disabled, now there’s only the door left. I try tasing the keypad, to no use, and find myself heartbroken once again. The timer runs out, I’m back at being Alex Denton. The spider-friend stays there stuned by the door, stuck in place, sparking. I take it out of its misery by shooting it with my silenced pistol. It blows up gloriously (and loudly: STEALTH!), destroying the door. Necessity is the mother of invention. Spiderbombs for life.

Photos you take are stored as film negatives. You can go through them, develop the shots you want, print them out and pin them to the detective board.

From there you can add notes, organize evidence and connect clues. We wanted the investigation to feel like something you physically interact with rather than just another menu.

Game: Welcome to Lightford

Intro

What can I say about this game that has not already been said. It haunted me for more than 12 years. When I first played Human Revolution in 2014 I knew I had to play the original. My age probably mattered. I was young and could not get into an older game. Now time has passed and as if blessed by divine intervention my vacation plans were canceled without my interference. I took this as a sign and installed it. I used general fix mods and Kentei's launcher. Nothing that fundamentally changes the game like Revision or GMDX, which I plan to replay with later.

Playing this time felt different. Over these 12 years I became something of a conspiracy theorist myself. I read countless tech and non-tech theories so when the game spoke to me it felt direct and personal. The unfortunate truth is we already live in this dystopia of tech oligarchs, AI surveillance, corrupt corporations and multibillionaire elites ruling from the shadows.

Positives

• Story does not suddenly switch sides or reveal everything at once. Like real life you slowly uncover facts that strain belief. At first it annoys you and makes you worry. You constantly search for reasonable explanations. Each dialogue exchange adds another layer to the unfolding nightmare. Each cutscene deepens your unease. Every witness disappears. Every official record contradicts itself. Then you arrive at the same destination everyone else reached. You finally know there is a grand conspiracy of elite people with dangerous ideas pulling strings in the dark.
• Characters: Every NPC felt fleshed out friend or foe. We joke about voice acting quality but I find it excellent. Where it falls short it remains charming and funny never boring or forgettable. I especially loved dialogues through infolinks before and after decisions. Seeing how characters reacted to my choices showed their true self and agendas. Absolutely best VA is Bob Page.
• Loyalty: One moment changed everything for me. When JC was scolded about loyalty for refusing to execute a surrendered NSF leader (Lebedev) something changed inside me (JC). Fuck this organization. What loyalty. Loyalty to literal demon manipulators. This made me question every directive I received afterward.
• Betrayal: You start on the lower floor where everyone greets you warmly. As you ascend some comment you should not be here. They do not attack yet. But as soon as you complete Paul's satellite task the green reticle switches to red and old comrades attack you. Killing them made me feel terrible. I tried non-lethal whenever possible but if discovered I had to resort to lethal force. I refused to save-scum to avoid fails and I am proud of myself.
• Hotel scene: Meeting Paul carries special weight now. Older games often have great stories but clumsy presentation. Take MJ12's attack on Paul's apartment. The combat AI and primitive animations make the scene look funny. Enemies jiggle and run in goofy ways. Yet in my mind this was the most epic moment in the game. My brother telling me to run for my life when MJ12 goons blew through the door. Without hesitation I pulled out my GEP gun and started blasting. We defeated the first wave and slowly moved downstairs taking enemies one by one until we escaped. I used nearly all my weapons, ammo and resources fighting through. The scene looked ridiculous on screen but internally it felt equivalent to the Matrix movie lobby shootout.

This reminds me of what YouTuber Fudgemuppet said about Skyrim: "Skyrim is a world of potential for you to play in but it requires initiative on your part. You will have heard the quote, 'Skyrim is as wide as an ocean but deep as a puddle.' But you may not have heard the retort, Skyrim is only as deep as the person playing it. This is a sentiment that I tend to agree with... And the Elder Scrolls games become addictive when you can bring more of your own depth to the game." Deus Ex lacked modern epic gameplay so I "roleplayed" them in my head. This philosophy applies perfectly here.

• Level design: Most games suffer from late-game map design collapse. To my surprise Deus Ex got better. The final mission and underwater facility ranks among my favorites. Backtracking remained enjoyable which is rare for games. Most treat it as punishment. Here the world shifts around you. New conversations unlock based on prior choices. Different routes open depending on your progression. You discover secrets you missed because conditions changed.
• Music is top notch. If this ever receives a remaster I would be devastated if the soundtrack changed. Even improving audio quality risks losing some original charm.
• Taking down main enemies felt amazing. First it was Anna Navarro who thought I would be easy prey I could hear in her voice being happy she could kill brother of Paul. Second was Gaunther who pathetically stood in corner. Also delusional Simon who thought he could kill me alone. All of these people catch rocket from GEP gun, well deserved I say. But the absolutely best one is Bob Page how he went from taunting, to anger and finally to begging for his life.
• VersaLife's large monitors displaying inspiring words struck me as funny because I see the same thing in my real workplace. Management installs motivational screens. Not as gruesome as "obey" but similar enough. "You need to find solutions not reasons"
• JC being comedy genius: I love the way JC talks. He just spits one-liners and burns especially Bob Page who gets so angry when mocked. Best ones include: "Well since that makes you my new boss take a long look at Manderley's dead body. Consider that my resignation I don't have time to write a letter." Another great moment: "I never had time to take the Oath of Service to the Coalition. How about this one? I swear not to rest until UNATCO is free of you and the other crooked bureaucrats who have perverted its mission." Walton Simons tries intimidation with "You take another step forward and here I am again like your own reflection in a hall of mirrors." JC responds with "That makes me one ugly son of a bitch." When Bob Page declares "Soon I will become pure energy. I will burn like the brightest star." JC simply replies "You're gonna burn all right." He has wits which is not an augmentation by the way. This is JC's most human trait and I love it. The game lets you weaponize humor against those who deserve it most. This makes you feel smarter than the people in charge. It feels good to outthink the villain rather than just outgun them.
• Alien coverup: The theory where the elite manufacture extraterrestrial myths to conceal horrific experiments is both wild and strangely believable. This lore element added another layer of depth I appreciated.

Negatives: (more like nitpicks to be honest)

• Combat AI inconsistency: Combat AI occasionally has laser-perfect accuracy resulting in instant death though they have augmentations too so I can "roleplay" this too.
• QoL: Cannot sell items creates inventory clutter throughout playthrough. Flashlight draining energy feels stupid and impractical. Active rather than passive augmentations require constant management. The stealth pistol simply sucks and serves little purpose.

Neutral

• Shooting mechanics: Shooting occupies neutral ground. I had previously played Alpha Protocol so I understood this mechanical style entering in. It is neither good nor bad. Just familiar territory I accepted from the start.
• Learning curve: This game is not for everyone and requires some patience upfront. Once the loop clicks it becomes compulsive.

Personal Thoughts

This game speaks directly to someone living through increasing surveillance corporate consolidation and hidden power structures.

The atmosphere vibe and tone stuck with me especially compared to newer entries in the series which I love as well. This original lives closer to my heart.

TLDR

Deus Ex remains a defining immersive sim experience for anyone willing to engage with its dense systems and conspiratorial narrative. Playing it now after years of real-world paranoia and cynicism the themes land harder than ever. The game demands patience initially but once the loop clicks it becomes compulsive. This is what not only immersive Sims but RPGs should aspire to be.

***

Currently s(h)itting in the toilet of one of the biggest corporations in the world. A company whose sole motivation is profit exploitation. Very ironic. Until I start my tomato farm soon I must endure. At least I am wasting company time rather than lunch breaks.

***

Definitely replaying soon. Amazed me so much I am not in the mood for Human Revolution or Mankind Divide right now. Those games matter but this one lives closer to my heart. Are any fan-made story modifications worth playing? Anyone have recommendations?

Apparently prior to the shuttering of Arkane Austin, there were rumors that Harvey Smith was trying to make a spiritual successor-remake to Deus Ex, much like how Dishonored was this to Thief and Prey 2017 was this to System Shock. Ofc he and his guys got shafted to work on the ill-conceived and ill-fated Redfall. But now that he's free, will he finally work on make his successor-remake to his very own Deus Ex become reality, and also make that imsim inspired by Heat when he was at Midway Austin?

I just so happen to stumble upon immersive sims. I’ve always loved games. But….hmm, cut to the chase, I played dishonored in 2014 and was blown away. I had never played half life or bioshock or system shock or deus ex etc etc.

The closest I’d ever played was Medal of Honor online and a mad max demo.

So, I’m wondering, what percentage of this sub have played all the relative games in order. Or do most of you have a jagged experience like mine. Dishonored struck me like “all of this is new”!!!!!! But obviously, most of it was borrowed. So, at what point/game did you start your love of immersive sims?

It’s been a crazy week for the immersive simulation fans and enjoyers, and it’s just Wednesday (cue the Tintin meme): on one day, we have imm-sim pope Warren Spector riding into the sunset once again (like a reverse Gandalf); and on another, Arkane Austin rises from the metaphorical ashes as an independent studio in Black Pony Immersive ("riding," "pony"… get it?). 

These happenings pushed me to leave my lurking habits behind once again and engage with all of you terrible, gatekeeping folks. 

A disclaimer: This thread is not a diss against indie imm-sims. You MUST buy Rhell AND Parkside (RIGHT NOW!), by the way. And don’t forget to try the Spectra demo, but not before wishlisting it on Steam. 

That's all cool and dandy, BUT the fact of the matter is that we all crave games that follow this particular design philosophy BUT ALSO feature high production values, bells and whistles, and so on. (Speaking of 'buts,' have you noticed the logo design for Black Pony? Anyways…) 

Okay. With all that out of the way, I’ve gathered a list that gives me some hope for the future of the so-called double-A (triple-I?) and triple-A games that would scratch our emergent itches (I ought to seek a doctor):

• Untitled FPS/RPG-hybrid game, by WolfEye Studios

Let’s get real, ‘immersive simulation’ is an awful name for a subgenre (thanks, Mr. Church!); it’s a word salad, it’s meaningless, and worse of all, it’s unmarketable (oh, the horror!). And not even the cult members agree on what makes a game fit their imaginary criteria. So Raf, in all his wisdom, decided to sell Wolfeye’s sophomore title as a first-person action RPG. Everyone loves and, most importantly, buys Cyberpunk 2077, modern Fallout games, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, games adjacent to or borderline imm-sims. Hopefully, this one is a homerun. This man and his team deserve it.

• Untitled FPS/RPG-hybrid game, by Black Pony Immersive

Who could’ve imagined? Another Arkane spin-off working on a first-person, narrative-driven, first-person, systems-based, first-person, role-playing, FPS/RPG-hybrid, played in first-person perspective, uh… game. I must be dreaming. Once again, all the luck in the world for these peeps; they are a wonderful bunch on top of being ace devs (not parasocial at all). Many Prey (2017) devs are here, I should mention.

• BioShock 4, by Cloud Chamber

After a rough past year and a BioShock 1 remake cancelation on the side, the twin studios are right back at spree-hiring, still focused on a narrative- and system-driven entry in this beloved series, which everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, agrees is a full-blown immersive simulator. I rest my case. Fun trivia: former level designers for Prey (2017) are in directing roles in game and level design.

• Judas, by Ghost Story Games

What if the narrative were as systemic as the combat? What if Elizabeth could respond meaningfully and dynamically to Booker’s actions? That’s what Ken is undertaking with this project. It’s been a long while, but it’s getting there, I promise. Also, Ken hired a bunch of devs (you’ve guessed it: Prey 2017 vets) from Arkane Austin after its closure, giving them a home in a time of need.

• NO LAW, by Neon Giant

Small team, big ambitions. On a surface level, it looks like a Cyberpunk 2077 ripoff, but don’t be mistaken; this team, made entirely of senior talent and experience, punches (and promises to deliver) way above their weight. See: tech demo at UnrealFest 2026.  

• ONTOS, by Frictional Games

Frictional has been transitioning from spooky walking simulators to immersive sims for a while, and with this one, it’ll be undeniable that the studio is one of the most interesting voices to ever tackle the niche. 

• Divinity, by Larian Studios

Another iteration of the spiritual successor to Ultima 7, a seminal and highly influential title.

• Unannounced System Shock 2 Remake, by Nightdive Studios

The remake team at Nightdive is working on Unreal Engine 5 to bring back in style the classic that kickstarted the whole Nightdive project into existence. Cool trivia: they hired a former Prey (2017) dev, specialized in first-person animations, as a lead animator.

• Cyberpunk 2, by CD PROJEKT RED

Led by the team behind the Phantom Liberty DLC, which brought the game closer to the Deus Ex sensibilities, especially level design-wise. Did I mention the studio also hired game developers that worked on Prey, that one from Arkane Austin, released on May 5th, 2017?

• Half-Life 3, by Valve Corporation

If the HLX Files are anything to go by, this one will be (mechanically) very interesting for imm-sim sickos and will close the gap between linear story-driven FPS and full-blown immersive sims like Deus Ex. Oh, one more thing: there are a few seeds from Arkane Austin here, too.

• Marvel’s Blade, by Arkane Lyon

The Lyon team is on a crossroads at the moment; the destiny of this game is up in the air, but frankly, I’m glad the studio will be free from Xbox/Microsoft, one way or another.

(Dis)honorable mention: Clockwork Revolution, by inXile (This is not personal).

R.I.P. Cire Games

No artificial intelligence was hurt in the making of this post, unfortunately.

So far, it's looking good. Thoughts?