Smilegate announced a strategic investment in Dan Houser’s Absurd Ventures on December 4, 2024, but it did not disclose the amount or the equity terms. A later agreement made Smilegate the global publisher of a specific Absurd Ventures game: an open-world science-fiction action-adventure set in the A BETTER PARADISE universe.
What Smilegate announced about the investment
Smilegate’s December 4, 2024 announcement said it had made a strategic investment in Absurd Ventures, the U.S.-based media and entertainment company founded by Dan Houser. Smilegate also described itself as a partner and said it had the opportunity to partner on Absurd Ventures’ new intellectual property.
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Street Punx | Buy on Amazon | |
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Hudson Hawk | Buy on Amazon |
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The announcement did not state the investment amount, Absurd Ventures’ valuation, or Smilegate’s ownership percentage. Those terms cannot be calculated from the franchise and player figures in the release: they describe Smilegate’s business and are not the value of this transaction.
What game is Smilegate publishing?
In August 2025, the companies announced a global publishing agreement for an AAA, open-world science-fiction action-adventure game set in Absurd Ventures’ A BETTER PARADISE universe. The game was described as being in early development. Smilegate said it planned full-scale investment, including development funding, but the announcement did not disclose a funding amount or say how much had already been paid.
#1 Best Overall
The official announcements do not give the game a title or release date. Absurd Ventures’ games page describes two open-world action-adventure projects in development—one in A BETTER PARADISE and another in the Absurdaverse—but does not identify the second project as part of the Smilegate agreement. The publishing announcement specifically concerns the A BETTER PARADISE game.
Is it a Lost Ark game?
No. Smilegate is associated with Lost Ark, but the announced project is a separate science-fiction action-adventure in Absurd Ventures’ A BETTER PARADISE universe. The companies have not described it as a Lost Ark title, crossover, or sequel.
Rank #2
Smilegate’s 2024 announcement identifies CROSSFIRE, Lost Ark, and Epic Seven as franchises created by the company. It reported that Lost Ark had been played in 160 countries and reached 1.32 million concurrent users; these are Smilegate’s figures from that announcement, not independently verified transaction details.
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How the two announcements fit together
| Announcement | What it established | What it did not establish |
|---|---|---|
| December 4, 2024 investment announcement | Smilegate made a strategic investment, became a partner, and had the opportunity to partner on new Absurd Ventures IP. | Investment amount, valuation, equity share, or a named game. |
| August 2025 publishing agreement | Smilegate became global publisher of an AAA open-world sci-fi action-adventure in A BETTER PARADISE and said it planned development funding. | Game title, release date, platforms, funding amount, or confirmation that planned funding had been fully paid. |
What A BETTER PARADISE is—and is not
A BETTER PARADISE is the shared fictional universe for the announced game. It also has a related novel, but the book is not the game. Absurd Ventures lists the novel in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats; its store listing gives October 14, 2025 as the hardcover publication date. Details and booksellers are available from the company’s A BETTER PARADISE page and store listing.
Quick Recap
What remains unknown
- The investment amount, valuation, and percentage of Absurd Ventures owned by Smilegate.
- The game’s final title, release date, platforms, and consumer price.
- The amount of development funding and how much, if any, has already been paid.
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