"Across the industry, we don't think enough about how we match the scope to what we're making" – Mike Bithell on why the world needs an im-slim

Bithell Games has been reduced to a three-person core after 11 redundancies, following a rough stretch that saw the studio’s licensed projects underperform. John Wick Hex sold well enough to keep momentum going, but the Tron games landed far below expectations, forcing a hard reset on headcount and strategy.

Mike Bithell’s next project, Vampirium 1997, is a deliberately smaller take on immersive sims: a tile-based, top-down “im-slim” built around verbs, systemic interactions, and static portraits rather than expensive 3D presentation. The pitch is simple but important for devs: keep the possibility space, cut the production burden, and make it feasible to add or test mechanics in days instead of months.

That scope choice is also a business decision. Bithell says the studio is avoiding outside investment and relying on back-catalogue revenue to stay afloat, while using mailing lists and lore drops to build interest early. The broader point lands well beyond one studio: publishers are increasingly cautious about funding early-stage ideas, which pushes teams toward proving demand before they can secure meaningful support.

For developers, the takeaway is less about Dracula and more about matching format to audience. Bithell is arguing that too many projects still chase mainstream-scale production values before validating the market, especially in genres like immersive sims where complexity can explode costs long before sales justify it.