Rockstar Games founder Dan Houser’s new studio, Absurd Ventures, is currently working on a AAA open world action adventure game.
According to a job listing for the position of Lead Gameplay Designer at Absurd Ventures, the studio is working on a AAA open world action adventure game. The new recruit at Rockstar Games founder Dan Houser’s studio will become the hands-on contributor for the 3 Cs of game design i.e. Character, Controls, and Camera, in an open world action-adventure game. They will lead a team of multi-disciplinary specialists to work on combat and third person gameplay across multiple game modes.
Among the list of qualifications, it is mentioned that experience in Unreal Engine 4 or Unreal Engine 5 is a plus, suggesting that this new project at Absurd Ventures is likely being developed using Unreal Engine 5. As per other details mentioned in the qualifications section, the unannounced open world action adventure game will feature melee and shooting mechanics as well as non-combat forms of action gameplay, such as driving, mounts, climbing, traversal, and platforming. Additionally, experience in working on multiplayer combat is also listed as a plus, suggesting that Absurd Ventures’ first game will feature some form of co-op or competitive modes. Given the popularity of Battle Royale games, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a mode based on the match type.
It is stated that Absurd Ventures is creating new IP across all platforms and for all formats. The studio is involved in building narrative worlds, creating characters, and writing stories for a variety of genres, without regard to medium, to be produced for live-action and animation; video games and other interactive content; books, graphic novels, and scripted podcasts.
For the uninitiated, DanHouser is a game writer and producer. He co-founded Rockstar Games and held roles as head writer and vice president of creativity until his resignation in 2020. His brother, Sam, is the president of Rockstar.
