Smilegate, ‘GTA’ creator take stage at Tribeca to tease next big game

A promotional poster for the Tribeca Festival's Storytelling Summit, "Dan Houser's Absurd Ventures" / Courtesy of Smilegate

Korean video game publisher Smilegate stepped into the North American entertainment spotlight last week, anchoring a featured panel at the Tribeca Festival alongside Absurd Ventures, the new creative studio helmed by Grand Theft Auto co-creator Dan Houser.

The joint appearance underscores a deepening alliance between the Seoul-based gaming heavyweight and the veteran storyteller, following Smilegate’s deal last year to secure global publishing rights for an unannounced high-budget, open-world action-adventure game based on Absurd’s original intellectual property, "A Better Paradise."

The session, titled "Luminaries: Dan Houser's Absurd Ventures" and held during Tribeca’s Storytelling Summit, focused on how companies are navigating transmedia strategies — the practice of stretching a single narrative universe across video games, audio fiction, comic books and film.

Lee Yi-jae, a Smilegate director overseeing global partnerships, joined Houser and his longtime creative collaborator Lazlow on stage. Lee detailed how the Korean firm evaluates intellectual property with cross-platform potential, framing Smilegate’s role as an active creative partner rather than a traditional, hands-off distributor.

"Smilegate will do its best as more than a publishing partner — as a companion sharing the creative vision — to ensure 'A Better Paradise' becomes a game loved by players around the world," Lee said.

The partnership represents an effort by Smilegate to diversify its portfolio and cement its footprint in Western markets.

Founded in 2002 and based in Pangyo, Korea’s tech hub, Smilegate has built a lucrative business on hit titles including the tactical shooter "Crossfire" and the online role-playing game "Lost Ark," but it has historically relied heavily on Asian markets for the bulk of its revenue.

Aligning with Houser, who built some of the most lucrative and culturally dominant franchises in entertainment history before exiting Rockstar Games, gives Smilegate immediate premium narrative credibility as it looks to finance and distribute major titles for global audiences.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.