Dan Houser’s Absurd Ventures Partners With Smilegate for Major Sci-Fi Game

Smilegate has signed a deal with Absurd Ventures, founded by Dan Houser, to globally publish the upcoming AAA open-world sci-fi action-adventure game set in the A Better Paradise narrative universe, the company announced.

See an overview of the universe and game project via Smilegate:

A Better Paradise is an expansive universe created by Absurd Ventures, the company founded by Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser, former creative director and lead writer of the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption franchises, among others. Leveraging the studio’s talent for creating incredible narrative worlds and characters, A Better Paradise has already spawned a successful audio fiction series, A Better Paradise Volume One: An Aftermath, which debuted at the top of Apple’s Fiction Charts and won Signal Awards’ 2024 Best Fiction Scripted Episode. Absurd Ventures is also publishing a novelization of A Better Paradise’s first volume, scheduled for release in October 2025.

Currently in early development, the video game is being creatively written and directed by Houser alongside his worldbuilding team, including longtime collaborators Lazlow and Michael Unsworth. Game development at Absurd Ventures is led by veteran studio head Greg Borrud, formerly Niantic’s General Manager and co-founder of Pandemic Studios. Houser and Borrud have been building an elite team across Absurd Ventures studios, with the A Better Paradise game project featuring seasoned talent from Bungie, Treyarch, Respawn Entertainment, Insomniac Games, Riot Games and others, with lead credits on blockbuster action-adventure titles like Call of Duty, Destiny 2, VALORANT, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Hogwarts Legacy, and more.

With a top-tier development team, Absurd is officially developing this new AAA game, driven by an ambitious and exciting creative vision. The company expects Smilegate’s proven industry expertise and global gaming success will bring strong synergy to their strategic publishing partnership. Following last year’s capital investment in Absurd Ventures, Smilegate plans full investment including development funding for the A Better Paradise project to help ensure its global success.

More details regarding the development timeline and platforms will be announced later.