Dave Oshry, the CEO of New Blood Interactive, publisher known for games like ULTRAKILL, Gloomwood, and Fallen Aces, believes that marketing games as 'immersive sims' is a poor strategy. Oshry stated in a recent interview with PC Gamer that the term is "awful" and unlikely to perform well commercially.
Oshry's aversion to the term stems from his experience publishing games that fit the immersive sim mold, like Gloomwood. He admitted that he had never heard the term until lead developer Dillon Rogers used it to describe their work. Oshry's familiarity with genre classics such as System Shock and Deus Ex led him to categorize them simply as RPGs. "System Shock and Deus Ex, they were RPGs. People called them RPGs," Oshry said. "That's the funny thing about an immersive sim. You're immersed in this world. You're building your character. Yeah, that's called an RPG, brother. That's a roleplaying game."
He posits that marketing a game as an RPG would likely yield better results than marketing it as an immersive sim. The publisher has found success with cult-favorite indie titles, suggesting his marketing approach, even if unconventional, is effective. The debate over the definition and marketing of immersive sims remains ongoing within the gaming community.