The stealth-action game Thick as Thieves comes from some of the creators of the influential Thief game series, but the new title from OtherSide Entertainment and Megabit adds one very important wrinkle to the stealth immersive sim genre: you aren’t the only player trying to steal what you’re after.
Thick as Thieves, which had its first major reveal during The Game Awards today, December 12, is a PvPvE game that takes players to a metropolis in an alt-history version of the early 1900s. The curving cobblestone streets of a North British-style city are lit by neon and subtle magic, with thieves prowling the rooftops and roaming the sewers.
The core game loop sees four thieves — each controlled by a different player and each with their own techniques and equipment — balancing individual quests that progress their character’s story and a main job where they’re directly competing with each other to pull off a great heist on behalf of their thieves’ guild. There’s no "right" way to pull off a perfect score; you could sneak through an entire mission without being seen once, or barge in at the right moment to KO a rival thief in an ambush and swipe all their hard-earned (ill-gotten) gains. Just make sure you watch out for guards and other environmental obstacles — or even put them to use by siccing them on your rivals.
"Typically immersive sims haven’t had that flow that a lot of games had. And we thought we could do better," Warren Spector, one of the main creators behind Thick as Thieves (and also the Thief and Deus Ex games), told 12DOVE at a preview event before The Game Awards. "We said, 'Let’s make a stealth action game, with a capital S and a capital A.'"
Thick as Thieves will attempt to steal gamers’ hearts in 2026 when it’s released for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Check back later this week for more in-depth info from 12DOVE’s preview of the game.
And check out all our Game Awards 2024 live coverage.
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