# “System Shock and Deus Ex, they were RPGs. People called them RPGs”: Gloomwood’s publisher isn’t too keen on using the term immersive sim despite it being one

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/system-shock-and-deus-ex-they-were-rpgs-people-called-them-rpgs-gloomwoods-publisher-isnt-too-keen-on-using-the-term-immersive-sim-despite-it-being-one/
- Published: 2026-10-24T20:29:27+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-24T21:10:38+00:00
- Original publisher: Rock Paper Shotgun
- Original article: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/system-shock-and-deus-ex-they-were-rpgs-people-called-them-rpgs-gloomwoods-publisher-isnt-too-keen-on-using-the-term-immersive-sim-despite-it-being-one
- Topics: Americas

## Key points

- Dave Oshry dislikes “immersive sim” as a marketing term.
- He says System Shock and Deus Ex were considered RPGs.
- The article notes that RPG labels can set different expectations.

## Summary

New Blood publisher Dave Oshry says “immersive sim” is a poor marketing label and that games in the genre may be easier to sell as RPGs. His view matters because it challenges how these games are described to potential players, even as fans continue to debate what defines an immersive sim.

Oshry said he first encountered the term while publishing Gloomwood and working with its lead developer, Dillon Rogers. He already knew games such as System Shock and Deus Ex, but regarded them as RPGs; New Blood also publishes Fallen Aces and ULTRAKILL. The article notes that RPGs can imply features such as character stats that immersive sims may not have.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.