Friday, 02 July 2021 12:01

Rockstar Games Co-Founder Seemingly Opens New Game Studio

Written by Andrew Heaton
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Dan Houser, the co-founder of Rockstar Games and one of the studio's creative forces behind the GTA and Red Dead games, may be back with a new outfit.

Founding the company way back in 1998 with his brother Sam, Dan Houser was one of the biggest driving forces behind a lot of Rockstar Games' creations. Helping to spearhead such enormously successful franchises, such as Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, Houser surprisingly departed the company back in 2020 with his final day being March 11th. Now, nearly a little over a year later, it appears he may be making a return to game development.

In a recent report, Houser has apparently registered a new gaming company, which could signify his re-entering the industry since leaving Rockstar Games. The source indicates that if this isn't a studio, then it could be a "personal investment arm" that still pertains to video games. It seems that the company, which is going by the name of Absurd Ventures in Games Ltd, has been registered since June 23, 2021. Although Houser's name is attached to the company on official records, it's unclear at this stage what it will focus on.

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Naturally, many will be speculating that Houser 's company could be a brand new development studio, but with nothing said by the man himself as yet, these are just rumors at the moment even if they look convincing. Dan, as many already know, is something of a powerful figure in the industry given his track record. His departure from Rockstar last year caused Take-Two stocks to drop to some of its lowest prices.

As well as the GTA and Red Dead franchises, Houser's time at Rockstar has yielded a lot of successful titles that he's either produced, or written, or both. Titles such as Max Payne, and Manhunt, for which rumors of a third installment in the horror stalker series was leaked in 2018, have provided an outlet for Dan and his original studio's more dark side. As popular as these, and other games were, the open world franchises of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption have become the bread and butter for Rockstar Games.

Although Houser will not be around for the rumored development of Grand Theft Auto 6, whatever he has planned is going to cause a lot of the industry and surrounding communities to pay attention. As stated, no one really knows exactly what it is he's up to, but it's likely that at some point an announcement will be made and any rumors will either be confirmed or denied. Many will likely be hoping for the former.

MORE: 10 Ways Dan Houser's Exit From Rockstar May Affect Grand Theft Auto 6 (& Other Video Games)

Source: GTA Forums, Companies House

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