Rockstar Video games co-founder Dan Houser has formally introduced his new studio, Absurd Ventures. If that sounds acquainted, it is as a result of he registered an organization beneath that very same title in each the UK and US again in 2021, a 12 months after he departed the Grand Theft Auto developer. Per the press launch, Absurd Ventures is each a recreation developer and a bigger transmedia studio. It plans to launch initiatives for “live-action and animation; video video games and different interactive content material; books, graphic novels, and scripted podcasts.”Houser left Rockstar in 2020. Final 12 months introduced he had joined the advisory board for blockchain developer Revolving Video games. At time of writing, Absurd Ventures hasn’t introduced a particular challenge in growth. All aboard the transmedia prepare Cryptic because the studio at the moment is, Absurd Ventures brazenly billing itself as a transmedia studio provides an thought to its bigger ambitions. And having Houser’s title to throw round could assist make these desires a actuality. Transmedia efforts have been occurring within the recreation business for a while now. However the billion greenback success of Nintendo’s Tremendous Mario Film, and the rising variety of online game variations (normally from Netflix) present that video games are to the 2020s what comedian books had been to the 2010s. Earlier this week, for instance, Movement Twin introduced Lifeless Cells would turn into an animated collection with a 2024 launch. Some properties have been extra fruitful than others, and see various levels of success in several mediums. And this could be a primary for Houser, since none of Rockstar’s huge franchises—Grand Theft Auto, Pink Lifeless Redemption, and Bully—have turn into movie or TV initiatives, regardless of makes an attempt to take action. ABSURD VENTURESStorytelling. Philanthropy. Ultraviolence. https://t.co/pZOqXnNcCs pic.twitter.com/EqnV4CzlO9— Absurd Ventures (@AbsurdVentures) June 15, 2023