Back in early 2020, Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser shockingly announced he was leaving the studio. While we don’t necessarily know how this will affect Rockstar as they haven’t released a new game since then, Houser was unquestionably a huge creative force at the company, writing every Grand Theft Auto title since GTA 2 as well as Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2, Bully, and more.
In 2021 Houser founded a new company, Absurd Ventures, but we haven’t heard much about what this new entity might be working on. Well, today Absurd Ventures revealed its first two “universes” – American Caper and A Better Paradise. Neither of these will be represented in video game form just yet, with one debuting as a comic book maxiseries and the other as an “audio fiction series.” As you might guess from the title, American Caper essentially sounds like Houser’s new version of GTA, while A Better Paradise is a “suspense thriller” – perhaps Houser is lifting some ideas from Rockstar’s abandoned Agent project? You can check out quick official descriptions of both universes, below.
- American Caper centers on two normal, badly-damaged American families in a world of corrupt business, inept politics and bungling crime. American Caper will debut as a graphic novel that is being illustrated by renowned comic book artist, Simon Bisley.
- A Better Paradise is an existential suspense thriller, set in the near future. A 12-episode audio fiction series based on the A Better Paradise universe is currently in production. Absurd Ventures is partnering with Q Code Media to co-produce the audio series.
Interestingly, Absurd Ventures recently welcomed another couple major Rockstar vets – Lazlow Jones (the guy behind all the radio chatter in the GTA games) and Michael Unsworth (co-writer of the Red Dead Redemption games and L.A. Noire). As for whether we can expect anything interactive from Absurd Ventures, their hiring pages do mention video games, so presumably those are coming eventually.
The “first stories” set in the American Caper and A Better Paradise universes are coming sometime in 2024. Absurd Ventures are promising more info in the coming months. What do you think? Interested in dipping a toe into Dan Houser’s new worlds?
