Absurd Ventures Secures Publisher for 'A Better Paradise' Game
Dan Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games and a key creative force behind franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, has announced that his new studio, Absurd Ventures, has signed a publishing deal with Korean company Smilegate for their upcoming video game, 'A Better Paradise.' This collaboration follows Smilegate's strategic investment in Absurd Ventures in 2024, signaling a strong partnership for the future of Houser's ambitious projects.
Developing a Rich Cross-Media Universe
Since leaving Rockstar Games in early 2020, Dan Houser established Absurd Ventures with a vision to create expansive media universes spanning books, podcasts, comics, and, of course, video games. 'A Better Paradise' is one such universe, already gaining traction with a successful audio drama series. The first volume of the 'A Better Paradise' audio play debuted at the top of Apple's fiction charts and earned a 2024 Signal Award for Best Fiction Scripted Episode. Absurd Ventures is also working on a novelization of the first volume, set to release in October 2025.
The Game: Early Stages, Veteran Team
The video game adaptation of 'A Better Paradise' is described as a story-driven, open-world adventure set in a science fiction universe. While development is still in its early stages, the project boasts an impressive team of industry veterans. Dan Houser himself is at the helm, joined by long-time collaborators and former Rockstar colleagues, Lazlow Jones and Michael Unsworth. The game's development is being led by Greg Borrud, an experienced veteran who previously served as General Manager at Niantic and co-founded Pandemic Studios.
The team at Absurd Ventures is composed of high-caliber specialists from a wide range of renowned studios, including Bungie, Treyarch, Respawn Entertainment, Insomniac Games, and Riot Games. These developers have contributed to some of the industry's most successful action and adventure titles, such as 'Call of Duty,' 'Destiny 2,' 'Valorant,' 'Marvel’s Spider-Man 2,' and 'Hogwarts Legacy.'
Smilegate's Commitment to Global Success
Smilegate's partnership with Absurd Ventures goes beyond mere publishing; they are committing further investment to the 'A Better Paradise' project to ensure its global success. This financial backing highlights Smilegate's confidence in the project's creative vision and commercial potential.
Dan Houser expressed his excitement about the partnership:
Absurd Ventures was created to tell new and unusual stories, and to build, I hope, interesting and exciting original projects. This new game is an opportunity to embark on a completely different journey and to give gamers a whole new adventure. I am excited to go on this journey with the amazing team we are building here at Absurd Ventures, and I am grateful to be partnering with Smilegate, who truly understand and support our vision.
Sung Joon-ho and Kwon Hyuk-bin, CEO and Chief Visionary of Smilegate respectively, also shared their enthusiasm:
We are very excited to take on this new challenge in the global AAA game market together with Dan Houser and Absurd Ventures. We are confident that the captivating story of the A Better Paradise universe, combined with the development capabilities of the Absurd team, will lead to an outstanding game. We are a developer-centric company, and we truly understand what studios need. We will provide Absurd with comprehensive support in the production of A Better Paradise, and we will do our best to help create a new game that gamers around the world will love. Smilegate will use its extensive experience and market success to make the A Better Paradise project popular worldwide.
We have become close friends with Houser based on a common interest in games and their future, and I find it especially significant that we can now share our creative ideas through collaboration on the A Better Paradise project. We are excited to present a game that reflects our vision and that we hope will deeply resonate with gamers around the world.
What This Means for Players
While the news of a publisher and the involvement of such a talented team is exciting, the early stage of development for 'A Better Paradise' means that a full announcement and release are still several years away. Gamers will need to exercise patience as Absurd Ventures works to bring this ambitious new universe to life.
Post a Comment