Absurd Ventures, the studio founded by Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser, has revealed that it’s hired some of the Immortals of Aveum development team from Ascendant to become a new studio under the Absurd label. The studio was previously facing an uncertain future due to mass layoffs after Immortals struggled.
Now, the developers are getting another chance at making a new game by joining Absurd to work with one of the most famous and prominent game developers of all time, Dan Houser.
Absurd Marin, based in San Rafael, California, is staffed by developers who worked on Immortals of Aveum, including the founder Bret Robbins. The exact number or names of Ascendant developers heading to Absurd Marin is unknown, however. Also unclear is whether or not Absurd has purchased Ascendant or if the developers are transitioning there and Ascendant will also continue.
Whatever the case, what we do know is that Absurd Marin is working on a “story-driven action-adventure” game set in an upcoming universe to be announced later. This follows the previous announcement of Absurd’s other game universe, which is called A Better Paradise.
“We love the focus on storytelling and world building at Absurd Ventures,” Robbins, the former creative director on Dead Space and Call of Duty games, said. “We are thrilled to team up and bring our combined expertise to work on an original game set in an incredibly fun new universe.”
Absurd calls itself a general entertainment studio and is making more than just games–the studio is also producing the American Caper comic and graphic novel series. More projects will be announced later, spanning games, books, and scripted podcasts.
Given its low sales, Immortals of Aveum seems unlikely to get a sequel, but some found a lot to like about the game. If you’re curious, Immortals of Aveum is available now on Game Pass Ultimate.
Absurd Ventures was created in 2021, a year after Houser left Rockstar. Another high-profile former Rockstar developer, Leslie Benzies, founded a game studio called Build a Rocket Boy that has bold ambitions.
As for the GTA series, Rockstar’s massively popular franchise returns in 2025 with Grand Theft Auto VI, a title that some say could help lift PS5 Pro sales.
