Ex-Rockstar Writer Dan Houser Details Two New Games
Dan Houser, the co-founder and former head writer of Rockstar Games, is developing two new video games at his media company Absurd Ventures.
He described both projects on Variety's "Strictly Business" podcast, in an interview published on 2 October 2026. The appearance is his fullest public account yet of what the new studio is building. Variety
Houser left Rockstar in 2020. His credits include the Grand Theft Auto series as well as Red Dead Redemption and Bully. He formally launched Absurd Ventures in 2023 as a company organised to make games, television, film and other multiplatform content. Variety
One game is an open-world comedy, meaning players can roam a large map freely rather than follow a fixed path. Houser said it is centred on comedy and character memory, including how characters remember and react to player behaviour. The details are early. No title, platform or release date was announced.
The second game is a dystopian science fiction story about game development gone wrong. It involves a rogue artificial intelligence that discovers sentience. Houser is writing both projects with Jeffrey "Lazlow" Jones, a fellow Rockstar alum and longtime collaborator.
Absurd Ventures is working from original IP, meaning characters and worlds the company owns outright. It began with three worlds: "A Better Paradise," "American Caper" and the "Absurdaverse." The company lists games, audio fiction and animation among its storytelling focus areas, and uses the tagline "Storytelling. Philanthropy. Ultraviolence."
The Absurdaverse strand is also moving into live performance. A planned Absurdaverse event was reported to feature live standup from Patton Oswalt alongside cast members Dan Soder, Ari Matti, Yamaneika Saunders and Steph Tolev. Variety
Houser also addressed the series most associated with his name. He said he had not seen the extended look at Grand Theft Auto VI. He tries to avoid that kind of material to prevent creative distraction.
For fans following his next move, this means new worlds rather than a return to old ones. Two teams, two stories, and a writers' room starting again from a blank page.
