In a recent retrospective video, Dishonored co-directors Raphael Colantonio and Harvey Smith revisited the opening moments of their iconic stealth masterpiece. Their commentary shed light on the game’s tumultuous origin story, revealing that the title was never part of the original plan—instead, it emerged from the ashes of two high-profile, failed pitches: a new entry in the Thief franchise and a licensed Blade Runner adaptation.
Ten minutes into the session, the duo provided fresh insight into a particularly precarious period for Arkane Studios. Colantonio recounted how Bethesda approached the studio while they were facing significant financial instability, offering a lifeline in the form of the Thief property. “I was so excited,” Colantonio recalled. “They came in not only to save us business-wise but to offer us the exact IP I had always dreamed of working on.” Smith confirmed that the intended project was indeed Thief 4.
The situation became more complex when Bethesda later dangled the possibility of securing the rights to a Blade Runner video game. This sparked an internal competition at Arkane, with Colantonio spearheading the Thief 4 concept while Smith led the Blade Runner effort. Smith noted that his team went as far as modeling the iconic Esper machine in 3D, experimenting with character movements that pushed the boundaries of human animation. Ultimately, Bethesda was unable to finalize the licensing for either franchise.
Fearing that the collapse of these deals would lead to the end of their partnership with the publisher, the team was surprised when Bethesda offered a different path forward. “They told us, ‘It’s okay, just keep doing what you’re doing and call it Dishonored,'” Colantonio explained. “The core of Dishonored was built directly on the foundation of our vision for Thief 4.”
As the Blade Runner project was shelved, Smith transitioned into the role of co-director for Dishonored. As development progressed, the team began shedding traditional genre tropes—such as the reliance on absolute darkness for stealth—to forge a unique, stylized identity. This evolution transformed a would-be sequel into a genre-defining cult classic.
While Eidos Montreal eventually released a Thief reboot in 2014, it failed to capture the acclaim of Arkane’s title. It remains a compelling “what if” in gaming history, highlighting how the failure to secure established IPs cleared the creative space for Arkane to produce one of the most original and influential games of its generation.
Source: Polygon
