Veteran game designer Warren Spector is known for creating immersive sim games that give players a wide variety of choices in how to progress. The best example of this is his critically acclaimed Deus Ex, where the consequences of your decisions are noticeable in future levels or missions within the game world.
This approach to design makes his new game incredibly fascinating. Revealed at The Game Awards 2024, Thick As Thieves is an immersive stealth-action multiplayer game.
"Thick As Thieves invites players to navigate a 1910s metropolis where every shadow conceals new challenges, from rival thieves and watchful guards, to a richly detailed city that changes with each heist," the press release reads. The accompanying reveal trailer not only introduces us to some of the master thieves but also helps establish this alternate history metropolis "where technology clashes with magic... a complex, detailed world of glittering wealth, a thriving criminal underclass, and a touch of magic."
"As the upper class amasses wealth and power while the lower class struggles to survive, you weave your way through both worlds, pursuing treasure and glory with stealth and cunning," the description continues.
As a master thief, you'll go on dangerous missions to steal wealth, earn prestige, and escape with valuable loot. As you explore the city of Ordene, you'll meet unsavory characters from corrupt nobles to mysterious vagrants. Guards patrol the streets and halls of the rich and powerful, making your job as a thief all the more difficult. How you approach each nightly mission is entirely up to you.
"We want you to be able to live out your thief fantasy, with a variety of different equipment and ways to play in Thick As Thieves," explains the developers. "You can race across the rooftops going from house to house or you can sneak through the underbelly of the city. Maybe you want to play as an unseen shadow, undetected by the local guards? Or maybe you want to smash and grab, looting as you go. As you complete missions earning cash and prestige, you’ll grow your skills and career gaining access to gear and abilities to further tailor your gameplay. With new challenges each mission, pay careful attention to the tools you bring – you’ll need more than just your cunning."
In typical Warren Spector style, the choices you make throughout the game will unlock unique playstyles and strategies that help shape your thief character. Your character's narrative is told through a fusion of emergent multiplayer gameplay and dynamic storytelling. Embracing emergent gameplay, no two nights in this world are never the same, ensuring endless challenges and discoveries. The press release reads:
Players engage in a unique competitive multiplayer experience, where infiltration, theft, and escape drive success. The game rewards clever tactics, planning, and improvisation. Thick As Thieves exemplifies OtherSide's commitment to player-driven agency, creating an experience where each playstyle can unfold uniquely in a vibrant world.
What may not be apparent in the trailer is the unique twist. You aren't the only thief on the hunt. Other thieves are also prowling the city, each with their own skills, tactics, and motivations. You're competing with other actual players in high-stakes, high-tension stealth duels.
“Thick As Thieves captures the vision of immersive gameplay that OtherSide was founded on” said Warren Spector, co-founder of OtherSide Entertainment. “With this game, we’re empowering players to create their own stories in a world that values observation, craftiness, and creative problem-solving.”
“OtherSide Entertainment’s co-founders helped pioneer the stealth action genre with the original Thief and Deus Ex games," added Benjie Clarke, Managing Director of Global Publishing at Megabit. “Their collaboration at OtherSide has rekindled this vision, now focused on pushing boundaries with fresh perspectives. Thick As Thieves marks the next step for what an immersive action game can accomplish and how sharing this experience with other players leads to incredible player-driven storytelling.”
Thick As Thieves has a release date of 2026, so we've got quite a while until launches, but now it's officially on our radar. The game will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.