Dan Houser is one of the most well-known names in the gaming industry, after all he co-founded the immensely successful development studio Rockstar Games. Now he has launched a completely new studio.
Dan Houser has launched a new studio, Absurd Ventures. In the future, this should “create new IP across all platforms and for all formats” – in this respect it is a narrative studio that is supposed to create narrative foundations for various entertainment projects, but will not be responsible for implementation in the same breath .
“We found Absurd Ventures to create new universes and tell great stories wherever and however we can,” said Houser. The narrative bases, worlds and characters are “designed for various genres without reference to a specific medium” and are also “created for live action and animation, video games and other interactive content, books, podcasts and more”.
In 1998, 49-year-old Dan Houser and his brother Sam Houser founded the now well-known developer studio Rockstar Games. With Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, this studio now has two of the best-known and most successful game brands; Rockstar’s works also include Max Payne, Bully, Manhunt and LA Noire.
Dan Houser himself was lead writer on the long-running Grand Theft Auto V as well as Red Dead Redemption 2. He produced and wrote 2006’s Bully and 2012’s Max Payne 3. He finally left Rockstar Games in February 2020 after taking a longer break after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2.
