Thief 4 Almost Happened, But Instead It Became Dishonored

Dishonored is a fan-favorite stealth-action game from Arkane Studios. Launching in 2012, the game’s blend of dark imagery, open-world stealth-action, and compelling narrative made for a memorable addition to plenty of player libraries. That’s what makes it all the more surprising to learn that the game we eventually got was actually initially intended to be part of a different series entirely.

According to some of the key creatives on the first Dishonored, the game was initially developed as a new entry in the Thief series. That game, along with a proposed Blade Runner title, was both in the works at Arkane before the studio shifted and turned their ideas into something original. While it may have been a disappointment for Thief fans, it was also a key factor in giving Dishonored its own unique style and tone that helped the game stand out from the competition.

How We Almost Got Arkane’s Thief 4 Instead Of Dishonored

During a playthrough of Dishonored by the game’s co-directors Raphael Colantonio and Harvey Smith, the pair discussed the history of the game and how it evolved during development. This includes the revelation that before they began work on Dishonored, the team at Arkane Studios had actually been in the early stages of working on a game based on Blade Runner as well as a new entry in the Thief series. According to the pair, Bethesda had approached Arkane about developing games for both properties. The team at Arkane worked on ideas for both games, with real strides being made in their approach to Thief — to the point where the pair admit they had a “killer” idea for the next entry in the series.

However, when Bethesda wasn’t able to acquire the rights to either property, they decided to keep up their development deal with Arkane. They asked them to keep working on their ideas for Thief 4 — shifting things in terms of presentation and plot to transform it into what would become Dishonored. Formally announced in 2011 and launching in October of the following year, Dishonored became a major success for the studio, prompting multiple sequels in later years. Thief fans did eventually get a follow-up with 2014’s reboot, although that game received mixed reviews at the time of release.

Dishonored Works Because It’s More Than Just A Thief Riff

It’s easy to see a lot of that Thief DNA in Dishonored, especially in the way both games played with stealth and action. However, it’s important to note just how much the game evolved over the course of development. During the early stages of development, the game was set in different locations, ranging from medieval Japan to 17th-century London. When playtesters found unique paths towards accomplishing missions that broke away from the developers’ original ideas, the team decided to lean into that sense of freedom and even redesigned levels to allow for more room for experimentation.

In the end, it was for the better that Arkane got to chart their own path forward with the game instead of being beholden to the established elements of the Thief series. While Dishonored clearly maintains some of the spirit of those earlier stealth games, the decision to create something new opened up the team to make something that could stand out on its own. Dishonored was the first game Arkane Studios made after Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax Media acquired the developer, giving them more support and runway to make the game into something special instead of just another entry in an established series.

Instead, Dishonored got to be something genuinely unique, where morality wasn’t decided by QTE or dialogue branches but by how the player actually approached their missions. It’s fascinating to think back to how differently things might have gone for the studio — and Thief as a whole — if they had stuck with that title. In the end, though, it’s for the better that we got to see something new.