Now that Thick as Thieves is launching, what are you most curious to see players respond to once they finally get their hands on it?

Spector: I think everyone on the team — certainly on the leadership side — has a different answer to this question. For me the thing I’m looking for is how players respond to stealthing together. Even back in the Deus Ex days I wondered how the choice/consequence, player empowerment and player story idea would work in the context of players playing together — like a D&D part. Thick as Thieves will reveal that.

Hickman: There’s a lot – co-op will definitely be fun for people; the Haunstable is going to make an impression. I guess what I’m most curious about is how people will use the tools – zipwire and disguise are very different, and one of the things I’m always surprised by when I watch the team playing or when I play co-op is how other people do things I never would have thought to try. I’m really curious to see what streamers do with it and how expressive the game can be.

With names like Warren Spector and Paul Neurath attached to the project, a lot of players will naturally expect some Thief and Deus Ex DNA. How directly did those games influence Thick as Thieves?

Spector: Certainly, the basic concept Paul and I came up with was inspired both by the things we loved about the games we’d worked on and the genre in which we’ve spent most of our careers. I mean, all of those games are built on a foundation of players creating their own, unique narratives through play. (Don’t get me started talking about that in any detail or we’ll be here all day!) That’s the heart of Underworld, System Shock, Thief, Deus Ex and even Disney Epic Mickey. (Don’t get me started talking about the Immersive Sim Lite that is the Epic Mickey game either!) So that’s the heart of those games you mentioned and it was critical for Thick as Thieves to explore that game space as well. Though one hopes in new and different ways that move the Imm Sim genre forward.

"I don’t think we consciously tried to move away from imm sim formulas so much as multiplayer is a different context."

How much of the game’s foundation came from classic immersive sims, and where did you consciously try to move away from those older formulas?

Hickman: I don’t think we consciously tried to move away from imm sim formulas so much as multiplayer is a different context. You can’t do physics simulation over the net in realtime, so how do you make a world that’s as interactive as one where you can? Approaches that make sense when the player is the only mover in the universe make sense in single player, but in co-op or competitive multiplayer, you just can’t architect things the same way.

I think the one place where we did consciously move away from some of the “orthodoxy” around immersive sims is that we didn’t try to make the UI completely diegetic. It’s important for players to have a clear sense of how visible they are and how much noise they’re making – whether a guard is just on patrol or is actively investigating. While we respect the other choice, for us, being explicit about these mechanics rather than embedding them in the world makes the experience much more legible for a wider range of players. And at the end of the day, I want to reach as many people as we can, because I love this kind of gameplay.

Thick as Thieves is built around short, replayable heists rather than one long traditional stealth campaign. What made that structure the right fit for this game?

Spector: I’ve been promoting the idea of short, session-based games for a while now — certainly since Paul and I started OtherSide. The main reason is largely selfish. I don’t have the time or the inclination to spend hours and hours sitting in front of a PC or console playing. I have a life. I extrapolated from that to the assumption that I’m not alone. More and more adults play games now than ever before which means more and more people with less and less time. Session-based play is the obvious answer to that, not just for Thick as Thieves, but in my mind a lot of games.

The game has a four-hour campaign, but replayability is clearly a major focus. How are you encouraging players to revisit heists after finishing the main content?

Hickman: The backbone of the game is the 16-contract experience, which takes you from your first mission for the Thieves Guild and your acquisition of the Vistara Diamond to the cliffhanger ending. Over the course of those 16 contracts, you’ll visit the Constables Guildhall and Elway Manor about 7-10 times. So, it was important to have things that changed every time you came back – different mission types, different security configurations – some paths will be blocked on a given runthrough, so you can’t just fall into your favorite path through the level.

If the patterns start to get too familiar, stepping up to Thief difficulty provides a whole different set of variations in the security configurations, and I challenge anyone to make it through the entire campaign on Master Thief in just four hours. It takes me about six, and that’s playing on Thief.

"The backbone of the game is the 16-contract experience, which takes you from your first mission for the Thieves Guild and your acquisition of the Vistara Diamond to the cliffhanger ending."

Stealth games live and die by player tools. What kinds of gadgets, abilities, and gear can players expect to experiment with?

Hickman: Everything starts with the signature tool – for the Spider, it’s the Zipwire. She can get vertical quickly, or slip past obstacles, but it’s noisy and draSpector attention, even when you’re cranking it for your next move. For the Chameleon, it’s the Disguise – being able to look like a guard, or even a Haunstable, changes how you relate to the space. Each of them have their own dynamic, and players will likely settle on a favorite.

But, in addition, we have a whole suite of things for players to work with. Smoke bombs are pretty straightforward and block line of sight; the pickpocket fairy does what it says on the tin, but it also can flip switches from a distance. The insult fairy will draw the attention of any guards in the area, which can be helpful when trying to get away. Slithersap has a variety of effects – from coating searchlights to making the ground slippier, to disabling guards.

The game can be played solo or in two-player co-op. What were the biggest challenges in making sure both styles feel equally satisfying?

Hickman: We started with solo – if you’re playing with someone else, and they drop out, the game still has to be good, right? So, that’s the cornerstone – if it’s not fun for me to go in by myself and try to achieve my goals, then it’s not good enough yet. From there, we take co-op to be the cherry on top. We don’t adjust the difficulty, so it’s up to you. If you want to play with someone else, it should be easier – in reality it depends on their skill levels. A newbie companion in Master Thief is just as likely to cause trouble as to help.

Each difficulty has its own configuration of security, so I really encourage players to try out the different difficulty levels – it can make a lot of difference to how enjoyable you find the game.

How does co-op change the rhythm of stealth? Does it make heists more tactical, more chaotic, or a mix of both?

Hickman: Generally, more chaotic. When you’re the only person moving through the space, you’re completely in control of what’s happening. As soon as you’re playing with someone else, you don’t know what they’re going to do. We often play with open voice comms, so we can coordinate – you go to the tower vault, I’ll hit the kitchen, sort of thing – but things always go off plan. The game is at its best, really, when you’re improvising. It’s easy to see a throughline and plan a path, but adapting when suddenly the Haunstable comes through the wall? That’s where it gets good.

The game previously shifted away from a PvPvE focus toward solo and co-op. Looking back, how did that change strengthen the final game?

Spector: There are a variety of ways solo and coop strengthened the game and, as I said earlier, everyone’s likely to have their own answer. For me it strengthened the game simply because players told us it did. When we were working on PVP we observed a couple of things. First, players either ignored each other so they could collect loot and not get knocked out OR they stalked each other so they could knock other players out and collect loot. One was an avoidance interaction and the other was a direct interaction. They didn’t play nicely together. It wasn’t very satisfying and didn’t deliver on the “stealth action” gameplay goal Paul and I set out to achieve. Second, we saw players cooperating naturally within the very limited ways the game allowed. Listening to players just made sense and the game is clearly better for it. Frankly, the opportunity to listen to players is a big part of the reason we released the current, “sneak peek” version of the game. We want to hear from players and, if I know players, we’re DEFINITELY going to hear plenty!

Hickman: Putting the focus on PvE really helped us to raise the bar on the quality of the overall experience. PvPvE without the PvE part is really just PvP. Getting the focus on the solo experience, the guards, the security devices, the maps, the objectives – it lays a stronger foundation for competitive play.

"Putting the focus on PvE really helped us to raise the bar on the quality of the overall experience."

Contracts seem central to the structure of Thick as Thieves. Are there plans to expand contracts post-launch with new objectives, maps, modifiers, or mission types?

Hickman: We’ve been thinking about this game as an “introductory chapter” – there’s a tutorial, 15 contracts, and then the credits. Will there be more? Sure, we’d love to make more contracts, more maps, more mission types – we have ideas for all of these that we left on the cutting-room floor and will be happy to go back and revisit if the players love the game. We’ve got all kinds of ideas of other places to go in Kilcairn, other artifacts to chase – it’s an endless well of possibilities.

Since post-launch content will depend on player feedback, what kind of response or player behaviour would push you toward expanding the game in certain directions?

Hickman: I mean, it’s really simple – we care about revieSpector, and we care about sales. The game is only $5 / €5 / £5 – vote with your wallet. It’s less than most burgers cost these days. If you like it, leave a review – we pay attention to every single review we get on Steam. Every one matters to us. And tell a friend – this is a great value for your gaming dollar, and it’s even more fun together.

The FAQ says Thick as Thieves is not a live-service game, even though more content is planned. How do you define the game’s post-launch approach?

Hickman: We’ll take a look at how big the audience is in the next few weeks and see what makes sense. If the community is 200K people, that’s one size of plan; if it’s 2M, that’s a completely different plan. We’ve got a couple of issues that we’ve already identified that we’re going to support with a patch – some settings, some localization – but beyond that, we’re going to wait and see how many people buy the game and what they say about it.

“After the cancellation of a game under development codenamed Argos, OtherSide Entertainment had to sadly say goodbye to 17 team members, effective end of May,” said a spokesperson for OtherSide Entertainment.

While no details about Argos have been revealed, the spokesperson described it as having the potential to be “a huge success in normal times.” However, the current state of the industry is “brutally challenging”, making Argos “unviable for now.” Whether this means that OtherSide wants to potentially work on it in the future remains unknown.

“To any studios out there hiring, we cannot recommend these impacted people highly enough,” continued the spokesperson.

Former world builder and level designer at the studio, Apryl Arrogante, confirmed that they are one of the employees affected by these layoffs. “Even though I was just there for a year, this team truly taught me a lot, and I’ve learned so much from them,” they wrote on LinkedIn.

Senior 3D artist Elizabeth Walcher was also part of the layoffs, confirming this through their own post. “A few weeks ago I was laid off from my job at OtherSide Entertainment after the Argos project was canceled. As a result, I’m back on the job hunt again and am available for work!”

OtherSide Entertainment has only released one title so far – Thick as Thieves – which came out on PC just last month. Featuring industry legends like Warren Spector (known for Deus Ex and Thief: Deadly Shadows) and Paul Neurath (known for Thief: The Dark Project and Thief: The Metal Age), Thick as Thieves offers a short gameplay experience with only two levels, and is appropriately priced at $4.99.

Thick as Thieves revolves around players taking on the role of thieves and heading into one of the game’s two maps – Constables’ Guildhall or Elway Manor – to loot them of anything that isn’t nailed down before making a successful escape. True to its Thief heritage, Thick as Thieves doesn’t really give players any way to fight back against enemies, so stealth gameplay is paramount.

Interestingly, despite its short runtime, director Jeff Hickman has said that the studio didn’t want to go with an Early Access release, finding the label too constraining. Referring to Steam’s Early Access as “a very specific thing on Steam and behind the scenes,” Hickman said that the team wanted to avoid “a bunch of rules” that Early Access games are expected to follow.

“We want to be able to pivot wherever we need to,” Hickman explained. “Do players just love solo and co-op play? Okay, great: no PvP for the future. Do players love solo and co-op, but are screaming about PvP? Oh, maybe we should do PvP. Like, we have a whole bunch of baseline plans, but none of them are set in stone.”

For more details on Thick as Thieves, check out our review, where we gave it a score of 7 out of 10.

Speaking to FRVR, Hickman noted that Steam has quite a few rules about Early Access releases, including what exactly constitutes an “Early Access” game. He said it is “a very specific thing on Steam and behind the scenes, to be frank, they have a bunch of rules about ‘this is what early access means, this is what you have to do within early access’. And they’re a little constraining to what we want to do, to be frank”.

He went on to note that the development team didn’t want to be stuck to a content roadmap that isn’t even set in stone yet. This way, the team can change things up whenever it comes up with new ideas based on player feedback for the various aspects of Thick as Thieves, like whether they prefer single-player or co-op, or if they want a potential PvP mode.

“We want to be able to pivot wherever we need to,” Hickman explained. “Do players just love solo and co-op play? Okay, great: no PvP for the future. Do players love solo and co-op, but are screaming about PvP? Oh, maybe we should do PvP. Like, we have a whole bunch of baseline plans, but none of them are set in stone.”

Interestingly, this ability to pivot would also allow OtherSide Entertainment to switch to Early Access if the development team decided that it was the right idea.

“My intent would be there will, at some point, there will be an early access,” he said. “And we probably then would open up a traditional early access sometime in the future. But this is not early access…

“I don’t want to theorise on what might or might not happen,” he continued. “Like, we could also go, ‘actually, we’re not going to go into early access. We’ve got enough from this.’ We’re just going to go straight to worldwide launch at some point in the future and never have an early access because we got so much info out of the thing that we’re shooting now.”

In its current state, Thick as Thieves has been described as a “foundation” that could then be built upon in the future. Hickman has confirmed that the studio has already tried quite a few ideas with it, and at one point during development, it even featured an open world before ultimately settling on its two levels.

Thick as Thieves is available on PC and is priced at $5. In our review, we praised its gameplay, level design, and replayability. However, the general lack of content, as well as the lack of basic features like a Field of View slider, led us to ultimately give it a score of 7 out of 10.

"When I say Thick as Thieves is a stealth game, I really mean it."

Thick as Thieves is a callback to classic stealth games, like the Thief series, where players are thrown into a level with a couple of missions, and it’s left entirely up to them how they want to deal with it. Curiously, the title makes use of a gameplay structure similar to what we’ve seen from extraction shooters; get into a level, loot as many things as possible, and potentially even try to finish up a contract or two to continue the story. Along the way, if you happen to get spotted and killed by a patrolling guard or a turret, you’ll lose anything you were carrying with you, be it loot or even keys.

When I say Thick as Thieves is a stealth game, I really mean it. Taking on a mission head-on is essentially suicide, since there’s no real way to fight back. Rather, you’re given a variety of tools that you can swap between to handle different situations. A crank gun, for instance, allows you to grapple on to nearby ledges. The smoke grenade, on the other hand, will let you obfuscate enemy line of sight, giving you the chance to slip by without raising any alarms. All in all, there are six distinct tools, including bottled up fairies that can pick pockets and flick switches, and even antagonistic bottled fairies that can cause distractions by yelling curses at nearby guards.

The general stealth gameplay is quite simple, and works on the tried-and-tested Thief method of mixing in line of sight, light levels, and sound. The game even provides you with a prominent gem at the bottom of the screen that lets you know how visible you might be in any sort of lighting, and moving around even lets you know how much noise you might be making.

The moment-to-moment gameplay of Thick as Thieves is tense, slow, and deliberate. You’re never going to rush into things because even just walking upright has the tendency to create sound and make you more visible under even the dimmest of lights. This means you will be crawling around slowly, waiting to observe guard patrol routes, and taking your time in picking out your routes. This is all helped by the fact that the two levels in the game are beautifully designed with many intricate layers that offer a variety of options through them, depending on the tools you have at hand and the difficulty you’ve picked.

"The moment-to-moment gameplay of Thick as Thieves is tense, slow, and deliberate."

Since there are just two levels in the game, the entire experience has been designed around the idea that you will be going through the same levels many times throughout the story. But if you’re concerned about this starting to feel repetitive, you have little to worry about. Just about every one of your attempts at a given level will start you out in different locations, and introduces subtle changes to things like guard patrols and turrets. This is further boosted with the option to play at higher difficulty levels, which brings in more guards, enemies that have special abilities, and more challenging objectives with stricter time limits.

The story of Thick as Thieves doesn’t really delve too deeply into any intricate lore, character arcs, or world-building. By the end of the tutorial, you find yourself in possession of a magical gem that allows you to see through walls to spot nearby guards and treasure. The rest of the story largely revolves around hopping back and forth between the two levels: Constables’ Guildhall and Elway Manor. While missions start off simple—get your hands on police documents investigating the gem and figuring out why the Elway family has a special interest in the gem to begin with—before slowly escalating as you get further in your attempts to finally fence the gem off.

One of the most compelling things about the game is how well it melds early 1900s industrial decor and architecture inspired by a fusion of art deco and gothic styles, and the presence of magic in the overall world. Even the weirdest things you might find in the game never really feel out of place thanks to how well the art and gameplay work together.

The fact that there are only two levels feels like a major missed opportunity for Thick as Thieves. The two stages already showcase quite a bit of personality, and made me get invested in the world almost instantly thanks to its vibrant art style and interesting architecture. Unfortunately, however, any more story you might be looking for is relegated to random sound bites you might overhear while sneaking around behind a guard, or perhaps even hidden documents here and there.

Thick as Thieves being so short also leads to running out of things to unlock as you get your hands on more treasure, and by extension, more money. At a certain point, there just isn’t really anything left to unlock aside from cosmetic items for your character, which in turn feels pointless outside of the co-op mode since the game takes place entirely in first-person.

"The fact that there are only two levels feels like a major missed opportunity for Thick as Thieves."

Length isn’t the only issue Thick as Thieves suffers from either; the title is lacking in many options that would be otherwise basic in any other games. It is sorely lacking in things like a field of view slider and rebindable controls. Along with this, even the mouse sensitive setting is strange, since, instead of giving you a slider that can be used to fine-tune the setting, you instead get three options: low, medium, and high.

Despite these issues, I couldn’t really help but keep jumping back into Thick as Thieves. The general gameplay loop felt quite addictive, and I would be lying if I said that I didn’t miss intricate level design that we last only saw in games made by Arkane, like Deathloop or Dishonored 2. Stealth games as a whole feel like an endangered breed, with the gameplay style largely serving as an optional way to accomplish things in titles that are otherwise more action-heavy.

Thick as Thieves is also the rare game in the genre that supports co-op play, which also ties into its highly-replayable nature. Rather than giving you the same objectives as in solo mode, playing in co-op changes things up so that both players have to work together to complete all of the objectives in time.

The ultimate saving grave of Thick as Thieves is its price tag. Since it just costs $5, the fact that it only has two levels feels a lot more forgivable than if it were priced any higher. Despite its short runtime, Thick as Thieves offers plenty of fun, especially for players that enjoy revisiting large, intricate levels to play around and experiment. Ultimately, it feels like an easy game to recommend, especially after offering plenty of warnings about its lack of what would otherwise be basic features.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Set in a 1900s city known as Kilcairn, players start as a novice thief who works their way up through the hierarchy to become a master thief. They can undertake heists solo or in co-op with six unique gear pieces. While there are two maps and 16 missions, Thick as Thieves’ biggest calling card is randomly generated conditions, which mix up the overall flow and encourage different tactics.

Originally, the plan was to offer a PvEvP gameplay loop, but as the developer noted on Steam, “There were a lot of dead ends we went down and had to backtrack out of – civilians, huge city maps, direct combat. Somewhere along the way, we figured out that the heart of the game, which really made it sing were moments of creative improvisation, when you’re in the world and reacting to the situation with the toolset you have, without thinking about it as a game at all.”

While the team is excited to finally have players get their hands on the title, it noted that the current offering is more of “an appetizer for a much more robust world, where thieves can explore more of the city, its history and more ways of interacting with the world and with each other.” You would assume this means more content, perhaps even additional campaigns that advance the narrative, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

Thick as Thieves is also in development for Xbox Series X/S and PS5, with a release date yet to be announced. Stay tuned for updates, hopefully in the coming months.

What’s the catch? According to studio CEO Paul Neurath (also renowned for his work on the old-school Thief games) in a press release, “Releasing this introductory campaign gets players into the world ofThick As Thieves and gives them a meaty taste of a world worth returning to.”

To that end, you can expect the campaign to last “at least four hours.” There are two dynamic maps with 16 missions to complete and six gear pieces to unlock. Thick As Thieves offers randomly generated circumstances with each mission, including different guard routines and layouts, so there’s definitely some replay value beyond the initial completion.

Megabit Publishing also weighed in on the decision, noting that it “reflects the team’s desire to bring players into the world sooner, and to give the team the flexibility to develop additional content informed by how players engage with the game.” Of course, it’s looking to expand on the premise beyond the initial campaign, including with “future content,” though in what shape and form remains to be seen.

For more details on Thick As Thieves, including how missions play out and the different gadgets you’ll use, check out the latest developer walkthrough below. Set in an alternative-history 1910s city where players seek to work their way up from regular thief to a legendary figure.

Alongside Neurath, Warren Spector of Deus Ex fame is involved, so it’s well worth looking into when it launches next month. Thick As Thieves is also coming to Xbox Series X/S and PS5, though a release window has yet to be announced.

From infiltrating deep vaults to stealing keys off guards and leaving calling cards, there’s quite a lot to delve into. Of course, not every heist ends quietly, and it’s very much possible that you’ll have to avoid capture to escape. It’s a short but sweet look at what you can expect when the full game launches on May 20th for PC.

Contrary to what you would think, this isn’t based on Dan Santat’s graphic novel. Thick as Thieves instead takes place in Kilcairn, an alternative history 1910s metropolis where thievery is the business, and business is booming. You’ll start as an initiate who must work their way up the ladder, cementing their own legend.

New tools are unlocked as you ascend the ranks, but the twist is that no two nights are the same. You’ll need to use every bit of cunning and split-second timing to succeed. Stay tuned for more details en route to launch.

As developer OtherSide Entertainment explained on Steam, “When we first revealed Thick as Thieves, we intended to focus on PvPvE gameplay. However, as development progressed and the world of Kilcairn has come to life, we found that we were having more fun with solo and co-op play.” Thus, the decision to pivot to those modes.

OtherSide also believes that it allows for “doubling down” on what makes the game “truly special – dynamic stealth gameplay.” “We’re already seeing how this has strengthened the moment-to-moment action, whether you’re playing solo or with a partner in co-op. We’ve had some fantastic moments while testing the game. Now we’re putting all our energy into making things even better as we build up to launch.”

Fortunately, it seems we’ll see how this works on April 9th during the Triple-I Initiative showcase. Thick as Thieves will receive a new gameplay trailer, and the development team promises other “well-guarded secrets.” Which may include a release date or a playtest announcement of some kind, but time will tell.

For now, this new approach looks more fitting for the 1910s alternative history setting that OtherSide is going for. The story is all about becoming a master thief; the hook is that every night offers new challenges courtesy of emergent gameplay.

As in Thief, you’ll need to observe different opportunities, avoid guards, and use your skills to pull off the perfect crime. One has to wonder if there’s any deeper plot – after all, the earlier premise involved building your “own personal storyline, mission by mission.” But the aesthetic is still pretty killer, and any new immersive experience from former Looking Glass developers and Spector is worth checking out.

Thick as Thieves is planned for this year and will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Thick As Thieves is set in a metropolis in an alternate history, where both technology and magic exist and often end up clashing against each other. As is often the case with settings like these, the world of Thick As Thieves has a bustling underworld, as well as a sharp divide between the rich upper classes and a lower class that struggles to survive.

Players will be taking on missions where they have to infiltrate, steal, and then escape in order to succeed. The game offers quite a bit of replayability thanks to its multiplayer mode, as well as a world rich in stories thanks to a host of different characters and mystery.

Thick As Thieves will be coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2026.

System Shock 3 was confirmed to be in development at series creator Warren Spector-led OtherSide Entertainment years ago, but after facing prolonged development issues, the project’s rights were sold in full to Tencent, with Spector and his team no longer involved. The current status of the project, meanwhile, remains unknown, and as you’d expect, whether or not it ever ends up getting made is up to Tencent.

That’s according to Stephen Kick, CEO of Nightdive Studios – the owner of the System Shock IP – who recently told the same to VGC.

“When we originally acquired the rights to the franchise, we licensed the rights for the third game to Warren and Paul [Neurath] at Otherside,” Kick said. “They then subsequently sold their rights to Tencent.

“So Tencent currently has the rights to the third game, and we have the rights to do the remake of the first game and potentially a remake of the second game. That’s pretty much where it stands right now.”

Interestingly, Kick also mentioned that Tencent could also make further sequels in the series if they did decide to end up developing System Shock 3. “I think they technically could do 4 and 5 as well, but they’d have to do 3 first. So, we’ll see,” he said.

Earlier this year, OtherSide Entertainment announced that it had started development of a new immersive sim with Warren Spector leading the team.

Meanwhile, Nightdive Studio’s System Shock remake is due out sometime in 2022 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.