Former Rockstar Founder Reveals New Publisher, Game, and Extended Universe
Dan Houser, who co-founded Rockstar with his brother Sam, left that company in February 2020. He revealed his new studio, Absurd Ventures, in 2023 with a tease that it would be working on multiple new IP across a wide range of mediums. Now, Houser has announced that Absurd Ventures is partnering with Smilegate (CROSSFIRE, Lost Ark) to publish and fund development of a new AAA game.
Although it’s as-yet-untitled, Houser has revealed that it’s an open-world, sci-fi action-adventure game, and it’s set in the A Better Paradise universe. This is an award-winning podcast set in the near future and concerns a mysterious, and addictive, video game.
“Absurd Ventures was set up to tell new and different kinds of stories, and to create what I hope are interesting and compelling original experiences,” said Houser in a press release.
“This new game is an opportunity to go somewhere entirely different and to take players on an entirely new adventure. I am excited to be going on this journey with the amazing team that we are building here at Absurd Ventures and am grateful that we are partnering with Smilegate who really understand and support our vision.”
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The Mind Behind Rockstar’s Big Hits
Aside from helping start Rockstar, Houser also produced a number of games it released, including Bully and Max Payne 3. Plus, he was the lead writer for Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA V.
While his former colleague and GTA V alumnus Leslie Benzies has been busy crashing and burning with the fumbled launch of his MindsEye game, Houser has been steadily building out an interconnected universe that encompasses audio dramas, novels, comics, and now an actual video game.
The project this new game references, A Better Paradise, tells the story of an inventor and psychologist, Dr. Mark Tyburn, who develops an immersive digital world. However, after he and his team notice the software is starting to exhibit disturbing behavior, it gets abandoned and the team disbands.
The podcast series follows what happens when the game world is rediscovered, and stars Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead), Paterson Joseph (Timeless), and Rain Spencer (Good Girl Jane). So far, Houser hasn’t shared any details on what the real game version will involve, although “rogue AI” is a safe bet, given the related trailer above.
An Absurd New Universe
Absurd Ventures also recently revealed news on an upcoming comic book series. American Caper is a modern crime story written by Houser, and features a Mormon hitman, gambling addict lawyer, Mexican beauty queen, and a maniac, all set on a collision course. The first issue will be published in November this year by Dark Horse Comics.
Absurd Ventures is also set to release an animated project, simply known as Absurdverse, sometime before the end of this year. The only teaser related to this so far has been an image showcasing a variety of characters, so it’s anyone’s guess what the finished product will actually be like.
Houser has also written a novel set in the A Better Paradise world, which is due for publication by Simon & Schuster in October this year. As for the game version, Absurd Ventures has revealed that the development team is filled with heavy hitters from the industry.
Greg Borrud, who was previously General Manager of Niantic and co-founder of Pandemic Studios, is the lead dev, with other staff coming from studios such as Bungie, Treyarch, Respawn, Insomniac, and Riot.
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