Absurd Ventures, the company started by Rockstar Games co-founder and head writer Dan Houser after he left said juggernaut, are working on a new “open world action-adventure” game. That’s according to recent job listings on Absurd’s website (cheers Gamesradar for the spot), which mention such a thing. And to be honest, are any of us surprised? Not really. Will the finished product resemble GTA to some degree? I imagine yes. Am I happy about this? Yeah, go on then.
Last year, Absurd Ventures said they’d, “create a new IP across all platforms and for all formats”, with a focus on storytelling. On top of that, they said they’d produce “narrative worlds” in the form of other things like books, graphic novels, and podcasts.
Later, a couple of those worlds would be unveiled as American Caper and A Better Paradise, American Caper being a graphic novel and A Better Paradise an audio drama, but both likely to spin off into other forms in the future.
All of this is to say, Absurd Ventures now have a bunch of roles going on their site and some of them give a glimpse into the game they’re working on. The Lead Gameplay Designer vacancy mentions an open world action-adventure game, but also someone to help develop “best-in-class combat” and “third person action across multiple game modes”. There’s also mention in this listing of someone with knowledge of “melee and shooting mechanics”, as well as “driving, mounts, climbing, traversal, platforming, etc.”
A look at some of the other roles on offer, like Senior Art Director, don’t really give anything away. It’s the usual spiel of delivering on a “creative vision” and “aligning with the game’s design and narrative goals”. Yeah, uhuh, cool.
So what can we surmise from all of this? Absurd Ventures are working on a game that sounds quite like GTA. But if their latest Xweet is any indication of the vibe they’re setting, I’d imagine it’s going to be edgy alright.