Dan Houser’s Absurd Ventures has launched its first spinoff studio.
Based in San Rafael, California, the Absurd Marin team is comprised of several former staffers from Ascendant Studios, creators of 2023’s Immortals of Aveum. Fittingly, that includes former Ascendant CEO Bret Robbins.
Per Houser, this new developer is working on a story-based original title. This project is based on a third, unannounced Absurd property, and marks Absurd’s second game alongside one it’s making for its transmedia property A Better Paradise.
“We love the focus on storytelling and world building at Absurd Ventures,” wrote Robbins. “We’re thrilled to team up and bring our combined expertise to work on an original game set in an incredibly fun new universe.”
Who is Ascendant Studios?
The saga of Bret Robbins and Ascendant was a twisty one in 2023. Immortals of Aveum was the studio’s debut project, and not long after the magical shooter’s launch, half of the staff was laid off.
Earlier this year, Robbins admitted several factors may have done the game in, including its price point. But at the time, he said sales saw a “huge uptick” thanks to price cuts and word of mouth, and that it opened the door to potential business partners.
Even so, the studio furloughed most of its remaining staff this past April. EA reportedly provided a lifeline in May by diverting all Aveum sales revenue to Ascendant, whose status as a developer is currently unclear.
Prior to Aveum’s release last year, Game Developer spoke with Robbins about making a magical first-person shooter, and making a motion capture-heavy game during a pandemic.
