Video Summary - Prey & Immersive Sim Design

Game storyline / concept

Setting & premise: The game takes place on a space station inhabited by aliens, where the player’s goals are to survive and escape.
Core narrative hook: Players awaken or arrive with limited understanding of what happened, creating a personal mystery like:
- “What am I doing here?”
- “What happened?”
Relationship to earlier titles: The team frames this as a new IP, loosely connected by genre DNA—primarily first-person action in space with aliens and the idea of a station escape.
- They cite influence roots such as:
  - Arx Fatalis (escaping a fortress framework)
  - System Shock (major “connective tissue”)
  - Dishonored (compared for mission structure versus continuous space)
Broad thematic focus: Emphasis is on individual survival and self-discovery, rather than an “indirect” objective like saving the world.

Immersive sim philosophy: The priority is deep player immersion, driven by mechanics and world behavior that feel consistent and “filter-free.”
Single self-contained location: Instead of a classic mission-by-mission structure, the entire space station functions as one big “space dungeon.”
- Players backtrack heavily, revisiting areas that gain new meaning because new events, people, or creatures appear.
Open-ended systems (“anything is possible” feeling):
- The team emphasizes a world that follows rules, letting players learn those rules and improvise.
- Multiple playstyles are supported—players can pursue different approaches instead of relying on one optimal route.
Example system: Mimics
- Mimics aren’t purely scripted transformations; their choices consider the physics objects in the room to decide what fits.
- This leads to variability—the same room can produce different mimic outcomes across runs.
- The team notes occasional “off-feelings” (e.g., mimics transforming into objects that are too large or too small), implying mass-based constraints.

Learn the station’s rules, then improvise: Because the environment supports consistent physical/system rules, players can experiment with physics and interactions to find solutions.
Embrace replayability of spaces: Returning to the same areas can be strategically valuable because new entities/events may appear.
Choose your approach freely: The team encourages experimenting with different builds and choices—for example, not relying on a specific tool (like a “glue gun”) or trying different interactions with aliens.

Why this genre: The team credits Arkane’s “DNA” and their history with immersive sims, noting that many developers come from studios connected to Deus Ex, System Shock, Bioshock, Thief, and similar worlds.
Why immersive sims are hard:
- They require consistent simulation-like behavior and open-ended systems.
- They also demand highly skilled level design and art/architecture to support those systems.
Fidelity and specialization: Modern production benefits from more specialized roles (levels, scripting, architecture, etc.), which increases team size and makes development slower.

No specific gamer “players” are named as featured sources.
Referenced games/studios (influence/identity):
- Arx Fatalis
- System Shock
- LookingGlass Studios / Ultima-era influence (via discussion)
- Arkane
- Dishonored
- System Shock / Prey (original vs later versions)
- Deus Ex
- Bioshock
- Thief
- Half-Life
- Baldur’s Gate
- Ultima Underworld
- Ultima VII
- Ultima (RPGs)
- Bard’s Tale
- Ion Storm / Origin / EA
- Unreal Engine
Interviewees / people speaking:
- Raphael
- Ricardo
- Richard Garriott (referenced within the Origin/Ultima context)
- Harvey
- Monte Martinez
- Steve Powers