Dan Houser Explores New IPs After Rockstar Departure
Dan Houser, co-founder and lead writer of Rockstar Games, left the company in 2019 after two decades of involvement and following the completion of Red Dead Redemption 2. After turning 45, he founded Absurd Ventures in Santa Monica, bringing on Greg Borrud as head of games and Wendy Smith as COO. The company has recruited talent including a former White House aide and executives from major media firms.
In 2024, Absurd Ventures released "A Better Paradise," a 12-episode story podcast focusing on an AI-run online game world and the tech-oligarchy it satirizes. The narrative centers on Mark Tyburn and Tyburn Industria. Houser aims to translate the storytelling expertise from his Grand Theft Auto era into new intellectual properties, focusing on authentic game-world dynamics and office micro-dramas rather than spectacle.
Currently, Absurd Ventures is developing an open-world game connected to "A Better Paradise," featuring characters such as Mark Tyburn and the AI NigelDave. Additionally, the company plans a separate property called Absurdaverse, described as a comedy universe designed for animated TV shows and movies along with an open-world, Sims-like game featuring emergent AI narratives and NPC memories.
A third intellectual property titled "American Caper," co-written with Lazlow, is planned as a more story-driven interactive experience rather than a traditional open-world game. Houser acknowledges there remains a significant audience for mature, single-player narrative games and argues for the importance of creating new, ambitious experiences despite the industry's current focus on live-service models.
