Dan Houser’s New Studio Unveils Its Unique “Story-Driven Tear-Comedy” Concept

Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser – who also happens to be a writer behind both Red Dead Redemption titles, Bully, Max Payne 3, and nearly every main installment of the Grand Theft Auto series – has been diligently working on a new studio, Absurd Ventures, for some time, and we finally have our initial glimpse at its upcoming game series, Absurdaverse.

The studio introduced the project and revealed “just a few characters from the Absurdaverse” yesterday, showcasing its bold logo and impressive roster of freshly imagined characters that you can check out below. A shapeshifting dwarf, a grim reaper-like spirit, a medieval skeleton, an average man in a Hawaiian shirt, and peculiar individuals that resemble IT professionals are all part of the (truly bizarre) cast.

“Prepare to meet some new types of heroes (and observe their misfortunes),” the post hinted. “Further updates will follow this year about the first animation initiatives and our unique story-focused action-comedy adventure game set in the Absurdaverse, currently under development at Absurd Ventures.”

Most notably, Absurd Ventures has launched several other multimedia projects. The fictional podcast A Higher Paradise has been running for some time, and the team is also preparing to release a crime comic series, American Caper, later this year. This means the team is managing at least three ‘universes,’ though the aforementioned “action-comedy” is the only one specifically linked to an online game currently in production (that we know of, at least). When it eventually releases, it will mark Dan Houser’s first game since leaving Rockstar Games in 2019. It remains unclear whether it’s the same game as the open-world project we learned about last summer, t