South Korean sport writer Smilegate has made a strategic funding and change into a associate in Absurd Ventures, a sport studio based by Rockstar Video games cofounder Dan Houser.
Houser spent greater than 20 years at Rockstar video games and drove the artistic route of the Grand Theft Auto and Pink Lifeless Redemption franchises, which have collectively bought greater than 550 million models worldwide. (Theoretically, that’s about $33 billion price of video games). Houser left Rockstar Video games in 2020.
Via this settlement, Smilegate may have the chance to associate on Absurd Ventures’ new mental property, which has been within the works since Houser began the studio in 2021. I’m trying ahead to seeing the artistic output of this mixture, as Houser was a part of a gifted workforce at Rockstar that rose to the head of the sport trade. It is a check as as to whether he can do extra of the identical, this time with a South Korean juggernaut behind him as a substitute of Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive.
One other GTA veteran, Leslie Benzies (pictured beneath left), has additionally struck out on his personal — leaving Rockstar and beginning up the Construct A Rocket Boy studio — and is working with IO Interactive on a sport referred to as Mindseye in addition to a bigger sport universe dubbed All over the place.
Dan Houser (at microphone) accepts an award at DICE in 2018.
In an announcement, Houser mentioned, “This collaboration with Smilegate was borne from a mutual respect and a philosophical alignment with founder (Hyuk-bin) Kwon, and the great passion he and his team bring to making AAA games. We both want to build interesting worlds and new player experiences.”
It’s an enormous alternative for Smilegate — the maker of video games similar to Crossfire and Misplaced Ark — to workforce up with Houser, who creatively oversaw globally profitable IPs which are cultural cornerstones and rooted in immersive storytelling.
Joonho Sung, CEO of Smilegate, mentioned in an announcement, “We are thrilled to collaborate with the developers behind globally renowned series that have millions of fans worldwide. Together with Absurd Ventures, Smilegate aims to deliver games that players across the globe will love. This partnership marks a critical milestone in Smilegate’s journey toward becoming a global IP powerhouse.”
Because the artistic director and lead author of Rockstar’s largest video games, Houser conceived indelibly wealthy worldbuilding, charming and generally heart-breaking tales, and created iconic characters likeTommy Vercetti, Arthur Morgan, Trevor Phillips and John Marston to call only a few.
A match made in GTA heaven?
Houser’s workforce at Absurd Ventures consists of key leaders and expertise from his time at Rockstar Video games in addition to govt sport growth veterans who labored on Name of Obligation, Pokemon Go! and lots of different triple-A franchises.
Primarily based in Santa Monica, California, (with places of work in Marin County, California), Absurd Ventures is at the moment at work constructing a daring new imaginative and prescient with various new IP universes throughout a big selection of mediums, together with video video games in addition to live-action and animated TV and movie, audio fiction podcasts, books, comedian books and extra.
Whereas Absurd Ventures’ online game tasks are in early phases of growth, the workforce did launch a success audio fiction sequence this yr set in a brand new science-fiction universe. The sequence, A Higher Paradise, debuted at No. 1 on Apple’s Fiction charts. And Absurd Ventures may even be introducing its American Caper crime-fiction universe as an authentic comedian e book sequence in 2025.
A 3rd IP universe from Absurd Ventures may even be revealed quickly. Smilegate is the creator of the blockbuster franchises Crossfire, which was launched in 2007 as a first-person shooter sport and it has a billion registered players (eight million concurrent) in 80 international locations. Misplaced Ark debuted in 2018 in South Korea in 160 international locations and it’s nonetheless going sturdy with over 1.32 million concurrent gamers on Steam.
As a part of this funding, Smilegate is is steadily solidifying its place as a world IP powerhouse. Smilegate and Absurd Ventures will every leverage the energy of the opposite into new and sustainable enterprise alternatives.
Smilegate will profit from Houser and his workforce’s confirmed narrative, triple-A sport and enterprise experience within the Western market, whereas Absurd will profit from Smilegate’s experience within the Asian market. The 2 firms will pool one another’s strengths in areas similar to on-line/stay service, given Smilegate’s success with Crossfire and Houser and his workforce’s expertise overseeing the wildly profitable Grand Theft Auto On-line.
Smilegate was suggested by DLA Piper and Absurd Ventures was suggested by Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, P.C. with respect to the transaction.
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