View source for Immersive sim

{{short description|Video game genre}} 
{{VG Adventure}}
{{Simulation VG}}
An '''immersive sim''' (simulation) is a [[video game genre]] that emphasizes player choice. Its core, defining trait is the use of [[Simulation video game|simulated systems]] that respond to a variety of player actions which, combined with a comparatively broad array of player abilities, allow the game to support varied and creative solutions to problems, as well as [[emergent gameplay]] beyond what has been explicitly designed by the developer.<ref name="polygon"/> This definition is not to be confused with game systems which allow player choice in a confined sense or systems which allow players to easily escape consequences of their choices.

Immersive sims by definition allow for multiple approaches, and typically incorporate elements of multiple genres, including [[Role-playing video game|role-playing games]], [[Stealth games|stealth]], [[first-person shooter]]s, [[platform game]]s and [[survival horror]].<ref>{{cite web |title=How Resident Evil 4 Influenced BioShock |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/games/bioshock/268610/how-resident-evil-4-influenced-bioshock |website=[[Den of Geek]] |access-date=30 May 2019 |date=October 29, 2018}}</ref> Although they typically have smaller worlds than [[open world]] games, they also generally allow for [[Nonlinear gameplay|open-ended gameplay]], allowing the player to progress in any order and pursue side missions alongside any main story missions.<ref name="pc gamer">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/history-of-the-best-immersive-sims/ |title=History of the best immersive sims |first=Rick |last=Lane |date=July 7, 2016 |access-date=April 7, 2017 |work=[[PC Gamer]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522065909/http://www.pcgamer.com/history-of-the-best-immersive-sims/ |archive-date=May 22, 2017 }}</ref><ref name="polygon">{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2016/8/18/12539476/what-makes-an-immersive-sim-and-why-are-they-staging-a-comeback |title=What makes an Immersive Sim, and why are they staging a comeback? |first=Thomas |last=Biery |date=August 18, 2016 |access-date=April 7, 2017 |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303121527/http://www.polygon.com/2016/8/18/12539476/what-makes-an-immersive-sim-and-why-are-they-staging-a-comeback |archive-date=March 3, 2017 }}</ref> Immersive sims are generally compared to games developed by [[Looking Glass Studios]]. The first such game generally considered an immersive sim is ''[[Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss]]'', and other early examples include ''[[Thief: The Dark Project|Thief]]'' and [[Thief II|''Thief 2'']], ''[[System Shock]]'' and ''[[System Shock 2]]'', as well as the first ''[[Deus Ex (video game)|Deus Ex]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/296395/Video_Warren_Spectors_postmortem_of_Deus_Ex.php |title=Video: Warren Spector's postmortem of Deus Ex |author=Staff |date=April 19, 2017 |access-date=April 21, 2017 |work=[[Gamasutra]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427025240/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/296395/Video_Warren_Spectors_postmortem_of_Deus_Ex.php |archive-date=April 27, 2017 }}</ref>

The term "immersive sim" may also be used to describe the game design philosophy behind the immersive sim genre, which uses interacting, reactive and consistent game systems to create emergent gameplay and a sense of player agency.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/is-prey-the-bioshock-successor-weve-been-waiting-for/ |title=Is Prey the BioShock successor we've been waiting for? |first=Phil |last=Savage |date=February 10, 2017 |access-date=April 21, 2017 |work=[[PC Gamer]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518150954/http://www.pcgamer.com/is-prey-the-bioshock-successor-weve-been-waiting-for/ |archive-date=May 18, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MichelSabbagh/20170306/292983/Thief_tense_narrative_through_level_design_and_mechanics.php |title=Thief: tense narrative through level design and mechanics |first=Michel |last=Sabbagh |date=March 6, 2017 |access-date=April 21, 2017 |work=[[Gamasutra]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509123952/http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MichelSabbagh/20170306/292983/Thief_tense_narrative_through_level_design_and_mechanics.php |archive-date=May 9, 2017 }}</ref>

==Concept==
Immersive sims typically task the player to make their way through levels and complete missions, but do not enforce the means by which the player does this. A common example would be where the player-character must get past a guard. The choice of how to do this would be up to the player: they may attempt to sneak around; use [[parkour]] or other similar abilities, aided with some equipment, to slip around them; find small passageways that allow them to get around the guard; create a distraction that draws the guard away from their post; convince or bribe the guard to ignore them; or simply attack and kill or disable the guard directly. The choices may be limited by the player-character's abilities and current inventory, and there may be consequences of the player's choice. For example, killing or disabling the guard could leave the guard's body to be found later, raising the alert level of other guards. However, this element of consequence can be seen as a negative to players if taken throughout the game. For example, ''[[Dishonored]]'' introduced a "chaos" system that adjusted how enemy guards would behave based on how much violence and disturbance a player had used earlier in the game so as to encourage players to try different tactics to avoid making future encounters harder. This system was removed for ''[[Dishonored: Death of the Outsider]]'', as well as the addition of optional quests to encourage alternate approaches to missions.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.vg247.com/2018/11/13/chatting-immersive-sims-underworld-ascendant-communicating-options-warren-spector-otherside-entertainment/ | title = Chatting immersive sims, Underworld Ascendant, and communicating options with Warren Spector and Otherside Entertainment | first = Kirk | last=  McKeand | date = November 13, 2018 | access-date = November 14, 2018 | work = [[VG247]] }}</ref>

[[Warren Spector]], part of [[Looking Glass Studios]], said that immersive sims create the feeling that "you are there, nothing stands between you and belief that you're in an alternate world".<ref name="pcgamer roundtable">{{Cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/the-designers-of-dishonored-bioshock-2-and-deus-ex-swap-stories-about-making-pcs-most-complex-games/ |title=The designers of Dishonored, Bioshock 2 and Deus Ex swap stories about making PC's most complex games |first=Wes |last=Fenlon |date=March 10, 2017 |access-date=April 20, 2017 |work=[[PC Gamer]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518104906/http://www.pcgamer.com/the-designers-of-dishonored-bioshock-2-and-deus-ex-swap-stories-about-making-pcs-most-complex-games/ |archive-date=May 18, 2017 }}</ref> Many of the key developers of immersive sims compare them to tabletop ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' games hosted by a good [[gamemaster]], or to [[live action role-playing game]]s, in that there are a set of rule systems to keep it a game, but the game will react to the players' actions rather than force the player to conform to a specific action.<Ref name="pcgamer roundtable"/> Spector is credited with the term "immersive sim" in a [[Postmortem documentation|post-mortem]] he wrote on the development of ''Deus Ex'' in 2000,<ref name="pcgamer aug2017">{{cite web |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/the-uncertain-future-of-games-like-deus-ex-and-dishonored/ |title=The uncertain future of games like Deus Ex and Dishonored |last=Macgregor |first=Jody |date=August 15, 2017| access-date = August 15, 2017 |work=[[PC Gamer]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131523/postmortem_ion_storms_deus_ex.php | title = Postmortem: Ion Storm's Deus Ex | first = Warren | last=  Spector | date = December 6, 2000 | access-date = August 15, 2017 | work = [[Gamasutra]] }}</ref> although Spector himself attributes it to his Looking Glass colleague [[Doug Church]] instead.<ref name="pcgamer roundtable"/>

Mark Brown of the YouTube series ''[[Game Maker's Toolkit]]'' identified that a key differentiating feature of immersive sims is that they do not readily use scripted or fixed events. Instead, they use a consistent series of rules and systems throughout the game. These consistent systems then can be exploited by the player to complete objectives in unique and unpredictable ways, with the game reacting to the player's decisions.<ref name="polygon"/> Brown uses the example of being able to fire rope arrows (to climb on) at any wooden surface in the original ''[[Thief: The Dark Project]]'' (1998), while the 2014 ''[[Thief (2014 video game)|Thief]]'' game limited what locations these could be used, removing the immersive sim elements.<ref name="polygon"/> Rick Lane of ''[[PC Gamer]]'' noted that while earlier games in ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' series were not immersive sims, ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]]'' (2006) transitioned the series to an immersive sim.<ref name="pc gamer"/>

==History==
Warren Spector considered ''[[Ultima VI: The False Prophet]]'' (1990) the first game to have an immersive sim mentality as while played from a top-down view, it relied less on events and planned-out puzzles, and instead provided the rulesets and systems through its living world to allow players to craft their own solutions to situations. Spector described one playtesting example from ''Ultima VI'' that he considered the genesis of the immersive sim genre, in which a playtester lacked a magical spell needed by his party to pass by a closed gate, and instead used a pet mouse character to sneak through small spaces and access the necessary controls to open the gate, something none of the developers had anticipated.<ref name="glixel spector">{{cite web | url = http://www.glixel.com/news/how-warren-spector-created-a-genre-and-set-games-free-w485404 | title = How Warren Spector Created a Genre, and Set Games Free | first = Chris | last= Baker | date = June 2, 2017 | access-date = June 2, 2017 | work = [[Glixel]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170707043400/http://www.glixel.com/news/how-warren-spector-created-a-genre-and-set-games-free-w485404 | archive-date = July 7, 2017}}</ref>

''[[Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss]]'' (1992) is considered the first game to demonstrate the necessary elements of an immersive sim according to Spector and others.<ref name="glixel spector"/> It built upon ''Ultima VI''{{'}}s gameplay and added in the first-person perspective, predating ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'', the game that first popularized [[first-person shooter]]s, by a few months. The first-person view helped to cement the impression that the player was part of the game's world that they had full control of, and completing the impression of immersion.<ref name="glixel spector"/> Spector recalled that he had thought to himself "Do you not realize that the entire world just changed?" on seeing the initial demo for ''Ultima Underworld''.<ref name="glixel"/> Other early examples include ''[[System Shock]]'' (1994) and its sequel ''[[System Shock 2]]'' (1999), ''Thief: The Dark Project'' (1998) and its sequel ''[[Thief II]]'' (2000), ''[[Deus_Ex_(video_game)|Deus Ex]]'' (2000), and ''[[Arx Fatalis]]'' (2002).<ref name="polygon"/><ref name="polygon arkane">{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2012/9/28/3425300/the-mirror-men-of-arkane |title=The Mirror Men of Arkane |first=Russ |last=Pitts |date=June 27, 2012 |access-date=April 17, 2017 |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226154743/http://www.polygon.com/2012/9/28/3425300/the-mirror-men-of-arkane |archive-date=February 26, 2017 }}</ref> However, at the same time, more action-oriented games with strong narrative elements that followed from ''Wolfenstein 3D'', like ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' (1993) and ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'' (1998), drew larger commercial sales, making it difficult to gain publisher interest.<ref name="polygon"/><ref name="glixel spector"/>

Around 2006–2008, several games emerged that revitalized interest in the immersive sim, including ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]]'' (2006), ''[[BioShock]]'' (2007), ''[[S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl]]'' (2007) and ''[[Fallout 3]]'' (2008).<ref name="polygon"/><ref name="glixel spector"/> Spurred from these successful titles, there have been new titles in the ''Deus Ex'' series (''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution]]'' (2011), ''[[Deus Ex: Mankind Divided]]'' (2016)), the ''Underworld'' series (''[[Underworld Ascendant]]'' (2018)).<ref name="polygon"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Purslow |first=Matt |date=10 May 2018 |title=Underworld Ascendant's quest to keep immersive sims alive |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/underworld-ascendant/underworld-ascendant-immersive-sims |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=PCGamesN |language=en-GB}}</ref> A remake of ''[[System Shock (2023 video game)|System Shock]]'' (2023), [[System Shock 2#Enhanced edition|"enhanced" and Virtual Reality versions]] of ''System Shock 2'' (2023) and ''System Shock 3'' (TBC) are also all planned for release.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wheeler |first=C. J. |date=10 October 2022 |title=The System Shock remake seems to be sneaking onto Steam in March |language=en |work=[[Rock, Paper, Shotgun]] |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-system-shock-remake-seems-to-be-sneaking-onto-steam-in-march |access-date=2022-11-25}}</ref> New properties, including the Arkane Studios titles ''[[Dishonored]]'' (2012), ''[[Prey (2017 video game)|Prey]]'' (2017) and ''[[Deathloop]]'' (2021), as well as White Paper Games' ''[[The Occupation]]'' (2019) and [[WolfEye Studios]]' ''[[Weird West (video game)|Weird West]]'' (2022), were developed acknowledging the design principles of immersive sims.<ref name="Developemtn100">{{cite web |first=Robert |last=Purchese |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-09-29-why-dishonored-ditched-its-thief-shadow-stealth-mechanic |title=Why Dishonored ditched its Thief shadow stealth mechanic |publisher=Gamer Network |work=[[Eurogamer]] |date=29 September 2012 |access-date=29 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517234934/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-09-29-why-dishonored-ditched-its-thief-shadow-stealth-mechanic |archive-date=17 May 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="gi dishonored">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/28/arkane-knowledge-five-reasons-dishonored-fans-will-love-prey.aspx |title=Arkane Knowledge: Five Reasons Dishonored Fans Will Love Prey |first=Ben |last=Reeves |date=28 December 2016 |access-date=29 December 2016 |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229050921/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/28/arkane-knowledge-five-reasons-dishonored-fans-will-love-prey.aspx |archive-date=29 December 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Batchelor |first=James |date=2022-03-17 |title=Deathloop's Dinga Bakaba on rising to director and avoiding crunch |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/dinga-bakaba-and-the-road-to-deathloop |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=[[GamesIndustry.biz]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Horti |first=Samuel |date=2019-03-04 |title=The Occupation review |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-occupation-review/ |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=[[PC Gamer]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Scaife |first=Steven |date=2022-03-31 |title='Weird West' Review: A Fatal Mix of Immersive Sim and Top-Down Shooter |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/games/weird-west-review/ |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=[[Slant Magazine]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Other titles in this period, such as the ''[[Hitman (franchise)|Hitman]]'' series, and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild]]'' (2017) and its sequel ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom|Tears of the Kingdom]]'' (2023), while not necessarily considered immersive sims, have been said to possess elements of the genre, given their "sufficiently advanced [[physics engine]]/systems that interact with both player verbs and mechanics and level design"<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 December 2019 |title=Wait, Is 'Breath of the Wild' an Immersive Sim? |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/3a88wj/wait-is-breath-of-the-wild-an-immersive-sim |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=[[Vice Games]] |language=en}}</ref> and emphasis on player freedom and emergent gameplay.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pechalin |first=Andrei |date=2021-04-07 |title=Immersive Sims Are Less Niche Than They Appear |url=https://www.escapistmagazine.com/immersive-sims-are-less-niche-than-they-appear/ |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahardy |first=Mike |date=2023-05-01 |title=Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom owes its design to one of the most overlooked developers |url=https://www.polygon.com/23702871/zonai-ultrahand-abilities-switch-immersive-sims-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom |access-date=2023-05-15 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vg247.com/system-shock-remake-better-than-rpgs | title=System Shock Remake proves that immersive sims are brilliant, and everyone that dislikes them is wrong | date=4 June 2023 }}</ref>

===Performance in the industry===
While the immersive sim genre is well-received critically, its performance within the [[video game industry]] tends to be poor and sales of immersive sim games have been varying. The original ''Deus Ex'' sold more than 500,000 units (at the time, a respectable number) but its immediate sequel, ''[[Deus Ex: Invisible War]]'' was considered a commercial failure. More recently, while ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution]]'' sold more than 2.1 million copies within a month of its release, its sequel ''[[Deus Ex: Mankind Divided]]'' had not yet cleared one million in sales a year after its release.<ref name="pcgamer aug2017"/> ''[[Dishonored 2]]'' also did not see a sales uptake similar to the one the original ''Dishonored'' had.<ref name="pcgamer hsmith"/> ''System Shock 2'' only sold about 58,000 units eight months after release, in contrast to ''System Shock''{{'s}} 170,000 units.<ref name="desslock">{{cite web |last=Janicki |first=Stefan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226053838/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/system-shock-2-review/1900-2533150/ |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/system-shock-2-review/1900-2533150/ |title=''System Shock 2'' Review |work=[[GameSpot]] |date=August 25, 1999 |archive-date=February 26, 2014 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 13, 2007}}</ref><ref name="polygon looking glass">{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/2015/4/6/8285529/looking-glass-history |title=Ahead of its time: The history of Looking Glass |first=Mike |last=Mahardy |date=April 6, 2015 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|access-date=July 8, 2019}}</ref> As a result of poor sales of ''System Shock 2'' and ''Thief'' from its multimillion dollar budgets, Looking Glass suffered mounting debts and closed down in May 2000.<ref name="polygon looking glass"/> Irrational Games still wanted to make ''System Shock 3'', but [[Electronic Arts]], which held the publishing rights to the franchise, felt sales of the second were not sufficient to justify a sequel, leading Irrational to make a [[spiritual successor]] that shared the same concepts but avoided the intellectual property rights issues in ''BioShock''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-04-17-the-true-story-of-bioshock |title=Rapture leaked: The true story behind the making of BioShock |publisher=[[Eurogamer]] |date=April 17, 2014 |access-date=April 22, 2014 |first=Simon |last=Parkin |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421234418/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-04-17-the-true-story-of-bioshock |archive-date=April 21, 2014 }}</ref>

Jody Macgregor of ''[[PC Gamer]]'' noted that there are other factors contributing towards lower sales - including other competing games and changes in a sequel's marketing and approach. He also states that immersive sims require more commitment from the player to invest and learn the game's complex interacting systems in contrast to other types of games built around simpler mechanics thus making immersive sims harder to sell. Jordan Thomas, a developer on ''Thief'' and the ''BioShock'' games also said that immersive sims are very difficult to be built by groups other than large teams due to the complexity of such games - making contributions from [[independent video game development|indie games]] unlikely.<ref name="pcgamer aug2017"/>

Arkane's [[Harvey Smith (game designer)|Harvey Smith]] believed that while the sales trends for immersive sims in the 2010s were disappointing, there will always be a market for them but there will be a need to balance the cost of development to lower sales numbers.<ref name="pcgamer hsmith">{{cite web | url = http://www.pcgamer.com/games-like-dishonored-2-arent-going-anywhere-says-harvey-smith/ | title = Games like Dishonored 2 aren't going anywhere, says Harvey Smith | first = Ian | last = Brimbaum | date = August 29, 2017 | access-date = August 29, 2017 | work = [[PC Gamer]] }}</ref> Smith attributes the lower sales of more recent games to the general trend of players favoring fast-paced action games with strong multiplayer components - with publishers being wary of games without such elements. Immersive sims by nature tend to be single-player experiences requiring thought-out approaches but Smith believes that the new titles will adapt to these player preferences in the future, particularly from indie developers.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/dishonored-2/harvey-smith-immersive-sims-future | title = Dishonored's Harvey Smith expects an explosion of indie-made immersive sims | first=  Kirk | last = McKeand | date = August 31, 2017  | access-date = September 5, 2017 | work = [[PCGamesN]] }}</ref>

==Lineage==
[[File:11.30.10SpectorDavidByLuigiNovi2.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Warren Spector]] is one of the key figures that defined the immersive sim genre.]]
A small number of studios and developers have been associated with the immersive sim genre, creating a lineage in its development originating from [[Looking Glass Studios]] and its projects. ''Ultima Underworld'' was created by [[Paul Neurath]] and [[Doug Church]], under their studio [[Blue Sky Productions]] and [[published]] by [[Origin Systems]]. [[Warren Spector]] of Origin (who had worked on ''[[Ultima VI]]'') also worked closely with Blue Sky to finalize the game - which eventually transitioned into Looking Glass and created ''System Shock 2'' and ''Thief''.<ref name="glixel">{{cite web|url=http://www.glixel.com/news/the-makers-of-ultima-underworld-return-to-their-roots-w456304 |title=How the Makers of 'System Shock' and 'Ultima Underworld' Rediscovered Their Roots |first=Alex |last=Wiltshire |date=December 15, 2016 |access-date=April 20, 2017 |work=[[Glixel]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518102320/http://www.glixel.com/news/the-makers-of-ultima-underworld-return-to-their-roots-w456304 |archive-date=May 18, 2017 }}</ref> Spector later joined [[Ion Storm]] and founded its [[Austin, Texas]] studio where they developed the ''Deus Ex'' series.<ref name="glixel"/> Looking Glass Studios eventually closed down but developers from it launched their own studios - notably [[Ken Levine (game developer)|Ken Levine]] who had helped with ''Thief'' and ''System Shock 2'' left to form [[Irrational Games]] and create the ''BioShock'' series (which has been described as a [[spiritual sequel]] to the ''System Shock'' games). Following the release of ''[[BioShock Infinite]]'', Levine significantly pared back Irrational Games to reform under a new name, [[Ghost Story Games]], as to explore a new approach towards storytelling. However, [[Jason Schreier]] observed that many of those that had worked on the ''BioShock'' series at Irrational or other related studios often ended up either at existing studios or created their own studios that made their own immersive sim take on ''BioShock'' and continued this lineage.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/8/22412497/press-reset-jason-schreier-video-game-studio-shutdown-book-interview | title = Why Even The Studios Behind Bestselling Games Shut Down | first = Adi | last = Robertson | date = May 8, 2021 | accessdate = May 8, 2021 | work = [[The Verge]] }}</ref>

Separately, [[Raphaël Colantonio]] had been part of the quality assurance team supporting Origin Systems for [[Electronic Arts]] (EA) in publishing games like ''System Shock'' in Europe. Colantonio left EA and eventually founded [[Arkane Studios]], desiring to make an immersive sim sequel to the ''Ultima Underworld'' series. EA denied them the use of the intellectual property and instead Arkane produced ''Arx Fatalis''. Later, Colantonio brought on [[Harvey Smith (game designer)|Harvey Smith]] (a quality assurance tester for Origin for ''System Shock'' and one of the lead developers under Ion Storm for ''Deus Ex'') and they subsequently designed the ''Dishonored'' series as well as building the new ''Prey'' atop similar immersive sim fundamentals.<Ref name="polygon arkane"/> More recently, Neurath founded a new studio, [[OtherSide Entertainment]] obtaining the rights for an ''Underworld'' sequel from EA and for the ''System Shock'' property through [[Night Dive Studios]] whom also had acquired the rights from EA. Neurath brought on Spector to help create both sequels.<ref name="polygon spector">{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2016/2/17/11034836/warren-spector-otherside-entertainment |title=Warren Spector joins OtherSide Entertainment for Underworld Ascendant, System Shock 3 |first=Samit |last=Sarkar |date=February 17, 2016 |access-date=February 17, 2016 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160218042107/http://www.polygon.com/2016/2/17/11034836/warren-spector-otherside-entertainment |archive-date=February 18, 2016 }}</ref>

Many immersive sims that feature numeric passwords use the numeral "451" (or "0451") as part of the first code that the player encounters, such as in ''[[BioShock]]'', ''[[Prey (2017)|Prey]]'' and ''[[Deathloop]]''.<ref name="polygon deathloop"/> This is in reference to ''System Shock'' games which use it as part of the first door codes seen in the game - sometimes believed to be a reference to ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'' but according to Spector, the code had been used on the door for Looking Glass's studios in Cambridge.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare/451-reference | title = Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has a sly reference to Looking Glass Studios | first=  Ian  |last =Bourbeau  |date = October 26, 2019 | access-date = October 26, 2019 | work = [[PCGamesN]] }}</ref> However, former Looking Glass programmer Marc LeBlanc refuted this claim in 2023 saying that it was based on the Ray Bradbury novel and that the office manager used it as the studio's door code.<ref>{{cite web |last1=LeBlanc |first1=Marc |title=OG System Shock dev plays remake 1 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vL-Zt7Axes&t=20m38s |website=YouTube |access-date=18 August 2023}}</ref> Since then its recurrence in immersive sims as well as other games such as ''[[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare]]'' and ''[[Firewatch]]'' is described as "kind of a signature that developers use to align themselves with Looking Glass", according to former Looking Glass developer Tim Stellmach.<ref name="polygon looking glass" /><ref name="polygon deathloop">{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/22667576/deathloop-easter-egg-0451-arkane-looking-glass-studios | title = Deathloop's earliest Easter egg has a 27-year history |first =Mike | last = Mahardy | date = September 13, 2021 | accessdate = September 13, 2021 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] }}</ref> The name Looking Glass is also played upon by developers of immersive sims to reflect on the importance of the seminal studio to the genre - for example: OtherSide Entertainment's name (playing on the title of Lewis Carroll's book ''[[Through the Looking-Glass]]'')<ref name="glixel spector"/><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://time.com/2945908/underworld-ascension/ |title=There's a New Underworld Game in Town, but It's Not an Ultima |first=Matt |last=Peckham |date=July 1, 2014 |access-date=February 18, 2016 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |publisher=[[Time Inc.]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108120325/http://time.com/2945908/underworld-ascension/ |archive-date=January 8, 2016 }}</ref> and ''Prey'' having the Looking Glass computer system that the player encounters frequently.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/8/15581242/prey-review-xbox-one-ps4-pc-bethesda-arkane |title=Prey is a complex, tense, and scattered piece of survival horror |first=Adi |last=Robertson |date=May 8, 2017 |access-date=May 8, 2017 |work=[[The Verge]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170508222441/https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/8/15581242/prey-review-xbox-one-ps4-pc-bethesda-arkane |archive-date=May 8, 2017 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Video game genre}}
{{Looking Glass Studios}}

[[Category:Video game genres]]