Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser, along with Lazlow, has unveiled the first voice cast for Absurdaverse, a comedy and satire universe that will include an animated series and an AAA open-world video game. The project will debut on May 7 with animated shorts during the Netflix Is a Joke festival in Los Angeles. The initial cast includes Rachel Dratch, Dan Soder, Ari Matti, Annie Lederman, Yamaneika Saunders, and Steph Tolev, with plans to incorporate hundreds of actors.
A Satirical Engine for an AAA Open World 🎮
Absurdaverse continues the tradition of satirical content that Houser perfected in Grand Theft Auto, where television parodies were a staple of the humor. Now, the studio Absurd Ventures seeks to transfer that critical gaze to its own universe, with a structure that will encompass animation and games. The shorts will premiere at an event titled Absurdaverse Presents… at The Hollywood Improv. There are no technical details yet about the graphics engine or the gameplay of the AAA title, but it is expected to inherit the narrative focus and freedom of exploration characteristic of Rockstar.
From Parodying TV to Having Its Own Comedy Channel 🎤
If in GTA you laughed at the radio ads and fictional TV shows, now Houser invites you to watch his own sketch series with real actors. The live event sounds like, instead of playing a game with fake ads, we'll go see real comedians tell jokes in a theater. The step from satirizing pop culture to directly producing it is as logical as, after making games about crime, now making comedy. At least the voice actors won't have to complain about the pay.