Dan Houser’s new studio, Absurd Ventures, has hired some of the team from Ascendant who worked on Immortals of Aveum.
These developers, who faced uncertainty due to layoffs, now have a fresh start with Absurd and a chance to create new games alongside Houser.
Situated in San Rafael, California, Absurd Marin is now home to these developers, including Bret Robbins. The exact number of developers who made the move is still a mystery. It’s also unclear if Absurd bought Ascendant or if the developers are just transitioning over while Ascendant remains active.
What we do know is that Absurd Marin is diving into a “story-driven action-adventure” game set in a new universe that will be announced later. This follows their previous reveal of another universe called A Better Paradise.
“We love the focus on storytelling and world-building at Absurd Ventures,” said Robbins, who has previously worked on Dead Space and Call of Duty. “We are thrilled to team up and bring our combined expertise to work on an original game set in an incredibly fun new universe.”
Absurd Ventures isn’t just about games. They are also working on the American Caper comic and graphic novel series, with more projects, including books and scripted podcasts, to be announced soon.
While Immortals of Aveum didn’t sell well and probably won’t get a sequel, some players enjoyed it. If you’re curious, it’s available on Game Pass Ultimate.
Absurd Ventures started in 2021, a year after Houser left Rockstar. Another ex-Rockstar developer, Leslie Benzies, has also started a new studio called Build a Rocket Boy, aiming high with their projects.
Fans, we are excited to see what happens next.
Meanwhile, Rockstar’s GTA series will return in 2025 with Grand Theft Auto VI, which might boost PS5 Pro sales.
