Smilegate Enters Strategic Partnership with Dan Houser’s Absurd Ventures
Image courtesy of Absurd Ventures.
The South Korean company Smilegate has invested in becoming a partner with Absurd Ventures, a transmedia studio founded by Dan Houser, who previously worked at Rockstar.
Under the agreement, the studio behind Crossfire will have the opportunity to collaborate with Absurd on its forthcoming new intellectual property. Both organizations will also work together in various domains, including the live-service genre. Smilegate’s announcement highlighted Houser’s oversight of the success modes for Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption II, along with its own lineup of online games such as Crossfire and Lost Ark.
Additionally, Smilegate and Absurd Ventures will “leverage” each other’s strengths, such as the former’s knowledge of the wider Asian market and the latter’s “narrative, AAA, and commercial skills” in the Western market.
“This partnership with Smilegate emerged from a shared respect and philosophical alignment with [Smilegate] founder Kwon Hyuk-Bin, along with the immense passion he and his team exhibit in creating AAA games,” remarked Houser. “We both aspire to build captivating worlds and innovative player experiences.”
Joonho Sung, CEO of Smilegate, elaborated that the collaboration “represents a significant landmark in Smilegate’s quest to become a prominent global IP powerhouse. Together with Absurd Ventures, Smilegate seeks to create games that players around the world will enjoy.”
Absurd Ventures was officially introduced in late 2023 and launched an audio fiction series based on its original IP earlier this year. The company’s ultimate goal is to function as a transmedia studio from the start, allowing its properties to transition from games to podcasts, graphic novels, and film/TV.
In September, the spin-off studio Absurd Marin was established. This team comprises members from the now “paused” Immortals of Aveum development team Ascendant Studios, and is working on an undisclosed game. This upcoming title marks Absurd’s second gaming project and its third overall property.
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Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A native of Kansas City, MO, Justin Carter has contributed to numerous publications including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his work can also be found at io9 on Gizmodo. Don’t ask him about the best gum he’s had, as the answer will be more impressive than he cares to confess.