Smilegate has backed Dan Houser's Absurd Ventures with a strategic investment. 

There's no word as to how much this funding would entail, but the Korean games giant will "have the opportunity" to be involved with Absurd Ventures' new IP. 

Smilegate is the company best known for its Crossfire series of shooters as well as working with Amazon on the Lost Ark MMO.

"This collaboration with Smilegate was borne from a mutual respect and a philosophical alignment with founder Kwon, and the great passion he and his team bring to making triple-A games," Houser said. 

"We both want to build interesting worlds and new player experiences."

Smilegate CEO Joonho Sung added: "We are thrilled to collaborate with the developers behind globally renowned series that have millions of fans worldwide. Together with Absurd Ventures, Smilegate aims to deliver games that players across the globe will love. This partnership marks a critical milestone in Smilegate's journey toward becoming a global IP powerhouse."