Dan Houser, the co-founder of Rockstar Games, is expanding his new studio, Absurd Ventures, by launching a new team called Absurd Marin. This new studio is being created with talent from Ascendant Studios, the developers behind Immortals of Aveum.
Leading the new studio is Bret Robbins, the founder of Ascendant Studios. Though specific details of the new project are still under wraps, Absurd Marin is confirmed to be working on a “story-driven action-adventure game” set in a new, unannounced universe from Absurd Ventures.
Houser expressed excitement about the new studio and praised Robbins for assembling a talented and passionate team. He looks forward to collaborating with them on an original new title. Robbins, in turn, emphasized his enthusiasm for Absurd Ventures’ focus on storytelling and world-building. He expressed excitement about contributing his team’s combined expertise to this fresh and creative project.
Since its public debut in 2023, Absurd Ventures has been steadily creating new intellectual properties across various media, including audio fiction series, comics, and graphic novels.
One of the most anticipated projects from the studio is an open-world game, separate from what Absurd Marin is developing. This signals that Houser, known for his work on Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, remains deeply involved in the gaming industry.
Meanwhile, Ascendant Studios, known for its 2023 release Immortals of Aveum, a single-player first-person magic shooter, faced challenges after the game’s release. While the game received praise from many players, it struggled with lukewarm sales, partly due to stiff competition, notably from Baldur’s Gate 3.
The game’s high production cost, reportedly $125 million, also led to concerns about the viability of AAA single-player shooters in today’s gaming market.
As a result of the disappointing sales performance, Ascendant Studios faced significant layoffs, letting go of about 45% of its workforce not long after the game’s release. The company later furloughed an additional 30 developers, marking a challenging period for the studio. Despite these setbacks, Robbins has moved forward to lead Absurd Marin, signaling a new chapter for his team.
