Rockstar's Veterans Develop Open-World Game Meant to Offer 'The Best Combat in the Genre'
Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser is working on a new open-world game. The apple of the developer's eye is to prepare a combat system of the highest possible level of quality.
UPDATE
IGN provided new info about the first game of Absurd Ventures studio. It is set to unfold in a science fiction universe. It appears that it will be the same setting in which the audio series A Better Paradise takes place.
Original news (May 16)
Four years ago, Dan Houser departed from Rockstar Games, a studio he co-founded. A year later, he established a new team – Absurd Ventures. Now we finally found out what game this company is working on.
- The job offer shows that the studio is working on an open-world action adventure game. The devs' ambition is to deliver the "best in this genre of combat and third-person action within several gameplay modes." The announcement also suggests that the project is being developed using the Unreal Engine.
- At the moment, there is no information about the details of the game. The first announced projects of Absurd Ventures were: the comic American Capper and the audio series A Better Paradise. Both are expected to make their debut this year. Upon their reveal, the company emphasized that they would initiate new universes, which would later be developed in other media. However, it's unclear whether the mentioned action-adventure game will be based on one of these brands or if it will be something entirely new.
We are looking forward to the announcement of Absurd Ventures' first game, as Dan Houser isn't the only veteran in this studio. Last year, the company announced that a pair of developers who played crucial roles in the development of numerous Rockstar Games hits had joined its team. Jeffrey Crawford "Lazlow" Jones is one of them, having spent nearly 20 years on the team as a writer and creative director.
The second veteran who joined Absurd Ventures last year is Michael Unsworth, one of the lead writers on both Red Dead Redemption installments. He also wrote many dialogues that we could hear in titles such as LA Noire, Max Payne 3, or the Grand Theft Auto series.
Unfortunately, we will have to wait a while longer for the first game by Absurd Ventures to be announced. Job offers include such key positions as artistic director, lead game designer, or technical director. This suggests that the project is at a very early stage of development.
