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Dan Houser starting new game company

Mister Apoc

Demigod of Troll Threads


"Rockstar Games co-founder and Grand Theft Auto writer, Dan Houser, has seemingly started up a new video game company studio.



As spotted by Rockstar Mag a new company started in the United Kingdom called Absurd Ventures In Games has recently been registered. According to a business listing, Dan Houser is involved with Absurd Ventures in Games as Director.

Details about the new company are sparse. Absurd Ventures in Games was incorporated in the UK on June 23, 2021, and is classified as a “Ready-made Interactive leisure and entertainment software development” company."
 
Called it!


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nush

Gold Member
Going to bring back Table Tennis.

Anybody want to hear the real story behind Rockstar Table Tennis? New York 2005, Take 2 was headquartered in a building on Broadway due to space restrictions 2K and Globalstar had offices across the road in another building. This is only relevant so you know why the people of the story are at this location at this time.

So there's an after work socializing or event and the owner (Christoph Hartmann, fat German guy rather pleasant in the few times I met him) of 2K Games is talking casual conversation about how good the sales his sports titles are. Ego fueled Dan Houser is in the room and part of the conversation. So Dan throws down the gauntlet, "If Rockstar made a sports game it would be more profitable* than any of your games Christoph" and followed a good sportsmanship "I bet you $50".

Rockstar made Table Tennis, Dan won $50.

Now this is the point dear reader where you tell me to fuck off and how would I know such a thing that's never been reported? I worked for Take 2 starting at GTA2 to around Liberty City Stories as a timeline. I travelled the London to New York trans Atlantic flight a few times. So HR would basically book everyone on the same night flight on a Friday to London and you would end up often siting next to another executive of Take 2. It's late, 8 hour flight and you just chat and this one time I was sat next to one of the group directors, that's where I got this story.

So I'm thinking back, and I remember Rockstar making a presentation of Table Tennis to all the staff in one of the board rooms of the Windsor office. Two British based Rockstar guys in branded Rockstar hoodies pushing the line about how "Rockstar really loved Table Tennis (The sport) and wanted to make a game about it." Rockstar have never ever internally pimped a game like that and even at the time (Before I knew this backstory) I knew something was off.

E5v1kF0.jpg

ManaByte ManaByte
 

ManaByte

Gold Member
Anybody want to hear the real story behind Rockstar Table Tennis? New York 2005, Take 2 was headquartered in a building on Broadway due to space restrictions 2K and Globalstar had offices across the road in another building. This is only relevant so you know why the people of the story are at this location at this time.

So there's an after work socializing or event and the owner (Christoph Hartmann, fat German guy rather pleasant in the few times I met him) of 2K Games is talking casual conversation about how good the sales his sports titles are. Ego fueled Dan Houser is in the room and part of the conversation. So Dan throws down the gauntlet, "If Rockstar made a sports game it would be more profitable* than any of your games Christoph" and followed a good sportsmanship "I bet you $50".

Rockstar made Table Tennis, Dan won $50.

Now this is the point dear reader where you tell me to fuck off and how would I know such a thing that's never been reported? I worked for Take 2 starting at GTA2 to around Liberty City Stories as a timeline. I travelled the London to New York trans Atlantic flight a few times. So HR would basically book everyone on the same night flight on a Friday to London and you would end up often siting next to another executive of Take 2. It's late, 8 hour flight and you just chat and this one time I was sat next to one of the group directors, that's where I got this story.

So I'm thinking back, and I remember Rockstar making a presentation of Table Tennis to all the staff in one of the board rooms of the Windsor office. Two British based Rockstar guys in branded Rockstar hoodies pushing the line about how "Rockstar really loved Table Tennis (The sport) and wanted to make a game about it." Rockstar have never ever internally pimped a game like that and even at the time (Before I knew this backstory) I knew something was off.

E5v1kF0.jpg

ManaByte ManaByte
You weren’t the guy who offered to buy hookers for the media at the Midnight Club 2 junket are you?
 

AMSCD

Member
Anybody want to hear the real story behind Rockstar Table Tennis? New York 2005, Take 2 was headquartered in a building on Broadway due to space restrictions 2K and Globalstar had offices across the road in another building. This is only relevant so you know why the people of the story are at this location at this time.

So there's an after work socializing or event and the owner (Christoph Hartmann, fat German guy rather pleasant in the few times I met him) of 2K Games is talking casual conversation about how good the sales his sports titles are. Ego fueled Dan Houser is in the room and part of the conversation. So Dan throws down the gauntlet, "If Rockstar made a sports game it would be more profitable* than any of your games Christoph" and followed a good sportsmanship "I bet you $50".

Rockstar made Table Tennis, Dan won $50.

Now this is the point dear reader where you tell me to fuck off and how would I know such a thing that's never been reported? I worked for Take 2 starting at GTA2 to around Liberty City Stories as a timeline. I travelled the London to New York trans Atlantic flight a few times. So HR would basically book everyone on the same night flight on a Friday to London and you would end up often siting next to another executive of Take 2. It's late, 8 hour flight and you just chat and this one time I was sat next to one of the group directors, that's where I got this story.

So I'm thinking back, and I remember Rockstar making a presentation of Table Tennis to all the staff in one of the board rooms of the Windsor office. Two British based Rockstar guys in branded Rockstar hoodies pushing the line about how "Rockstar really loved Table Tennis (The sport) and wanted to make a game about it." Rockstar have never ever internally pimped a game like that and even at the time (Before I knew this backstory) I knew something was off.

E5v1kF0.jpg

ManaByte ManaByte
Hope you didn't break an NDA to share that story.
 

carlosrox

Banned
Bully, red dead Redemption, Max Payne and almost all of the GTA games.


Sugglers run warzone and LA Noire are the only Rockstar Games he wasn't the writer for.

Well I'm only a really big fan of Max Payne (1, 2, and 3) and GTA 4 and 5.

Never played Bully and never got to play much Red Dead either.

Either way I'll be paying attention to this. Max Payne 3 was basically perfect in my eyes so if he can ever make something like that again I'm in.
 

YCoCg

Member
I don't personally care, but the reprucussions for breaching an NDA can be severe. I just wouldn't want that to happen to the user who posted the story.
Oh come on, it's not like the company he worked are super aggressive about NDA's and have resorted to mob like tactics and bullying to get their way and make examples of people.



....wait, you said he DID work for Take-Two?
 

Bkdk

Member
Hopefully elements of bully + manhunt combined. Or he should just acquire tormentor and make it a spiritual successor for manhunt. Miss those days when gaming have pure fun factor games.
 

NoviDon

Member
You are looking for alpha protocol.

but yeah, I’d absolutely love…. LOVE a major studio to take a crack at something like thisz
yeah with like a classic spy movie feel but with a modern aesthetic. And with fun, witty humor and light hearted moments that reference spy/action movies and pop culture, to break up the tension in certain moments. if dont right could be something special. Since the head of the company was a founder and writer at Rockstar I would expect he would have what it takes, and know what elements are necessary and the quality required to make a game like that work.
 

cormack12

Gold Member
Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/rockstar-dan-houser-new-company

Rockstar Games co-founder and Grand Theft Auto writer, Dan Houser, has seemingly started up a new video game company studio.

As spotted by Rockstar Mag a new company started in the United Kingdom called Absurd Ventures In Games has recently been registered. According to a business listing, Dan Houser is involved with Absurd Ventures in Games as Director.

Details about the new company are sparse. Absurd Ventures in Games was incorporated in the UK on June 23, 2021, and is classified as a “Ready-made Interactive leisure and entertainment software development” company.
 
“Ready-made Interactive leisure and entertainment software development” - is it me or does that sound like mobile games/not quite game dev studio?

But I'd love Dan to get back some creative freedom and get writing again. Nobody wants to wait 7 years for each new game your writing.
 

AJUMP23

Gold Member
Anybody want to hear the real story behind Rockstar Table Tennis? New York 2005, Take 2 was headquartered in a building on Broadway due to space restrictions 2K and Globalstar had offices across the road in another building. This is only relevant so you know why the people of the story are at this location at this time.

So there's an after work socializing or event and the owner (Christoph Hartmann, fat German guy rather pleasant in the few times I met him) of 2K Games is talking casual conversation about how good the sales his sports titles are. Ego fueled Dan Houser is in the room and part of the conversation. So Dan throws down the gauntlet, "If Rockstar made a sports game it would be more profitable* than any of your games Christoph" and followed a good sportsmanship "I bet you $50".

Rockstar made Table Tennis, Dan won $50.

Now this is the point dear reader where you tell me to fuck off and how would I know such a thing that's never been reported? I worked for Take 2 starting at GTA2 to around Liberty City Stories as a timeline. I travelled the London to New York trans Atlantic flight a few times. So HR would basically book everyone on the same night flight on a Friday to London and you would end up often siting next to another executive of Take 2. It's late, 8 hour flight and you just chat and this one time I was sat next to one of the group directors, that's where I got this story.

So I'm thinking back, and I remember Rockstar making a presentation of Table Tennis to all the staff in one of the board rooms of the Windsor office. Two British based Rockstar guys in branded Rockstar hoodies pushing the line about how "Rockstar really loved Table Tennis (The sport) and wanted to make a game about it." Rockstar have never ever internally pimped a game like that and even at the time (Before I knew this backstory) I knew something was off.

E5v1kF0.jpg

ManaByte ManaByte
I feel like your story made my joke worth while.
 

Dr.D00p

Gold Member
Is he back living in the UK now?

Maybe part of the reason he left Rockstar then, being in Manhattan for years, the lure of bad weather, the Queen, Warm Beer, decent tea and no risk of being shot to death on every corner (Ironic) always calls them home in the end...:messenger_beaming:
 

TV&Drugs

Neo Member
I'm really afraid for the future of R* without him.

Why? He's an atrocious writer. All he did was write some bad stories.

Benzidies is the technical mind behind transitioning it to 3d in GTA3.

If anything GTA has a chance to flourish with some better plot and characters now that the he has left.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
Wild how often this has been going on the last few years. Big folks leaving big devs to create their own studio. It's rough, but also awesome.

I'm really eager to see what they all put together, and I'm honestly hoping it'll all be amazing.

I still love seeing people talk about Table Tennis, that game was such a surprise, lmao.
 
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