Gloomwood's publisher is reluctant to use the term immersive simulation even though it is one, recalling that people called System Shock and Deus Ex role-playing games.

Background: The Definition Remains Unsettled

The article begins with the author’s own uncertainty: at this point in life, there is a non-zero chance the author will die before anyone settles comfortably on what defines an immersive sim. The author says the idea is too annoying to pin down and expects disagreement on any attempted definition. That unresolved label frames the rest of the piece.

Development: A Recent PC Gamer Interview and New Blood’s Catalog

In a recent interview with PC Gamer, New Blood boss Dave Oshry said that trying to sell an immersive sim may be better done without calling the game an immersive sim. Asked whether the term is a good marketing term, Oshry said, “No. It sucks.” He added, “It’s awful.”

For readers unfamiliar with New Blood, the article identifies the company as a publisher associated with cultishly popular games such as ULTRAKILL, and with immersive sims such as Gloomwood and Fallen Aces. The interview names 3 games connected to New Blood: ULTRAKILL, Gloomwood, and Fallen Aces.

Oshry says he first heard the phrase immersive sim through publishing Gloomwood and working with lead dev Dillon Rogers. According to the article, Rogers told him, “That’s what these are called,” and Oshry reacted by saying he had never heard the term before.

The article also notes that Oshry had known and played earlier classics in this space, including System Shock and Deus Ex, but he regarded them as RPGs rather than a separate genre. He mentions 2 older titles in particular: System Shock and Deus Ex. He says people called those games RPGs, and that an immersive sim’s world-building and character progression can sound like roleplaying to a general audience.

Current Stage: What This Means for Marketing

The practical takeaway is not a new definition of immersive sim. It is a marketing observation from someone publishing games associated with the label: if a developer or publisher wants a wider audience to understand a game, a more familiar category may carry less baggage. Oshry’s position is that marketing something as an RPG could do better than marketing it as an immersive sim.

The author does not fully accept that conclusion. The author notes that RPGs come with expectations, such as stats, which are not typical of immersive sims. In the end, the author half-jokes that the difference may be that immersive sims are RPGs without the stats, while still suggesting that Oshry’s record with unusual indie games gives his view weight.

At the current stage, the debate remains open: the genre label is still disputed, but New Blood’s interview argues that the term may be poor as a selling phrase.