(Photo : Ascendant Studios / Screenshot taken from Steam)
Absurd Ventures announced the launch of a new studio known as Absurd Marin which is filled with veterans who worked on Immortals of Aveum.
The new studio is based in San Rafael, California, and will be led by Ascendant Studios founder and game director Bret Robbins. A studio spokesperson said that they have 20 members from the core team behind Immortals of Aveum.
New Absurd Marin Studio
They noted that the new studio will continue to staff up even more as development continues to progress on its project. Absurd Marin is reportedly working on a story-driven adventure title that is based on an unannounced new intellectual property.
This is said to be a separate project from the other title that Absurd Ventures is working on right now. The latter is based on a universe that is known as A Better Paradise. The two projects are still in the early stages of development, according to GamesIndustry.
Ascendant Studios' Immortals of Aveum met a gruesome fate as it recorded poor sales when it was released. In September of that year, the company announced the layoff of 45% of its workforce.
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Absurd Ventures' latest move comes as the studio was founded by former Rockstar Games boss Dan Houser in June 2023. It is a mixed-media studio that focuses on stories for games, animation, books, podcasts, and many more.
Talking about the new studio, Robbins said that they love the focus on storytelling and world-building at Absurd Ventures. He noted that they are excited to team up and bring their combined expertise to work on an original title that he said is set in an "incredibly fun new universe," said GameDeveloper.
Creating Story-Driven Games
He also said earlier this year that several factors may have resulted in Immortals of Aveum's untimely demise, including the game's price point. However, he noted that at the time, they saw a "huge uptick" in sales due to price cuts and word of mouth.
Right now, it's still unclear if Ascendant Studios still exists now that the studio's CEO and the majority of its employees have moved elsewhere. The company's official X account made its last post on Aug. 13, 2024.
Houser founded Absurd Ventures in collaboration with radio host and former GTA writer and producer Lazlow Jones, according to IGN. It has since launched its 12-part audio series A Better Paradise. The studio is now working on a new graphic novel series called American Caper.
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