OtherSide Entertainment, the studio founded by Warren Spector and Paul Neurath, has unveiled its new immersive sim-inspired IP at The Game Awards 2024. It's called Thick As Thieves, and it will be a PvPvE stealth action multiplayer game, which will definitely wrinkle the noses of some classic immersive sim fans since they are used to single player adventures.
However, Warren Spector maintains that the new game sits firmly in the studio's historic immersive sim roots. In a prepared statement, he said:
Thick As Thieves captures the vision of immersive gameplay that OtherSide was founded on. With this game, we’re empowering players to create their own stories in a world that values observation, craftiness, and creative problem-solving.
Thick As Thieves will be published by Megabit, Aonic's new publishing arm. Benjie Clarke, Managing Director of Global Publishing at Megabit, said in a statement:
OtherSide Entertainment’s co-founders helped pioneer the stealth action genre with the original Thief and Deus Ex games. Their collaboration at OtherSide has rekindled this vision, now focused on pushing boundaries with fresh perspectives. Thick As Thieves marks the next step for what an immersive action game can accomplish and how sharing this experience with other players leads to incredible player-driven storytelling.
Thick As Thieves is set in an alternate history 1910 metropolis where technology meets magic and glittering wealth clashes with a thriving criminal underclass. As the upper class amasses wealth and power while the lower class struggles to survive, players must weave their way through both worlds, using stealth and cunning in their quest for treasure and glory.
Players engage in a unique competitive multiplayer experience where infiltration, theft, and escape are the keys to success. According to the developer, the game rewards cunning tactics, planning, and improvisation. However, every shadow and corner can potentially hide a new challenge - from wary guards to devious rivals to the ever-changing, treacherous city itself, which OtherSide describes as a world full of characters, stories and mysteries. There will also be a personal storyline where the main character shapes their own destiny and journey from nobody to crime legend.
Rising through the ranks will literally open doors, as players get the option to pick locks, hijack alarms, bamboozle guards, silence civilians, and conceal their presence in their never-ending quest to escape with a bag full of loot.
As part of the immersive sim theme, keeping an eye on the city's inhabitants and their daily habits might just help players: maybe the housemaid has talked to her husband, who has talked to the barmaid after a few drinks.
Thick As Thieves will launch in 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X. Following the underwhelming launch of Underworld Ascendant and the cancelation of their System Shock 3 and the untitled Dungeons & Dragons game, it will no doubt be very important for OtherSide's future.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
