Picture this: a stealth game from the creator of Deus Ex, set in a richly systemic world called Kilcairn, where you and a partner pull off elaborate heists without another player lurking in the shadows trying to ruin your evening. That's now the actual vision for Thick as Thieves, and honestly, it sounds far more appealing than what was originally on the table.
OtherSide Entertainment has confirmed that Thick as Thieves, the immersive stealth game from Deus Ex creator Warren Spector, is dropping its previously announced PvPvE design entirely. The studio posted a Steam update stating the game will now focus on solo and two-player co-op play, marking a significant shift from the competitive multiplayer hook that defined the game's original pitch.
Why OtherSide walked away from PvPvE
The studio's reasoning is refreshingly honest. According to the official Steam announcement, the team found that as development progressed and the world of Kilcairn took shape, solo and co-op sessions were simply more enjoyable. "This sharpened focus has allowed us to double down on what makes Thick as Thieves truly special," OtherSide wrote, "dynamic stealth gameplay."
Here's the thing: that's exactly the kind of mid-development honesty that saves games. PvPvE structures demand a very different design philosophy than immersive sims. You're building for friction between players, not for the intricate, systems-driven sandboxes that define the genre. Trying to serve both audiences at once tends to satisfy neither.
Spector's track record makes the pivot feel even more sensible. He produced Ultima Underworld in 1992, created the original Deus Ex, and is widely credited with coining the term "immersive sim." That lineage points toward deep, player-driven systems, not lobbies full of opponents sabotaging your heist.
What the shift means for the game
OtherSide says the change has "strengthened the moment-to-moment action, whether you're playing solo or with a partner in co-op." The two-player co-op framing is worth paying attention to here. A well-implemented co-op mode in an immersive sim can genuinely add to the experience, letting players split responsibilities, coordinate distractions, or simply argue about which route to take through a guarded estate.
danger
Thick as Thieves is still targeting PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, with a release window still set for sometime this year.What most players miss about this kind of pivot is how much it signals about where the game's actual strengths lie. If the PvPvE sessions weren't generating excitement internally, keeping them would have meant shipping a weaker version of the stealth experience to prop up a mode the team wasn't confident in. Scrapping it is the right call.
Co-op heist planning mode
The broader context: PvPvE is having a rough year
This isn't happening in isolation. The PvPvE format has faced scrutiny across several high-profile releases recently. Arc Raiders from Embark Studios launched with a PvPvE structure and has been navigating mixed player sentiment ever since, with testers reportedly telling the studio they didn't enjoy the PvP component after the game pivoted toward it. The pattern is becoming hard to ignore: players who come to a game for its core loop often don't want that loop interrupted by opposing players.
For a game built around stealth, tension, and systemic problem-solving, adding human opponents as a wildcard doesn't deepen the experience. It just introduces a different kind of game entirely.
According to development reporting on the shift, the move to solo and co-op has already produced tangible improvements to the game's design. That's a good sign this wasn't a last-minute course correction but a considered decision made while there was still time to build something worth playing.
Keep an eye on Thick as Thieves as OtherSide moves toward release. The immersive sim genre has been waiting for a genuine new entry, and this pivot suggests the studio knows what kind of game it actually wants to make. Make sure to check out more:
