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Smilegate Makes Strategic Investment in Dan Houser’s Absurd Ventures, Accelerating Its Growth in the Global Gaming Market

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Smilegate’s deep expertise in Asian markets coupled with Dan Houser and the Absurd Ventures team’s creative vision and blockbuster AAA game experience aims to create vast and sustainable global business opportunities

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Smilegate today announced that it has made a strategic investment and become a partner in Absurd Ventures, a U.S.-based media and entertainment company founded by Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser. Absurd Ventures was launched by Houser, whose creative direction during his over twenty years at Rockstar Games drove the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption franchises, among others, to collectively sell more than 550 million units worldwide. Through this agreement, Smilegate will have the opportunity to partner on Absurd Ventures’ new IP.

Houser creatively oversaw globally successful IPs that are cultural cornerstones and rooted in immersive storytelling. As the creative director and lead writer of Rockstar’s biggest games, Houser conceived indelibly rich worldbuilding, captivating and sometimes heart-breaking stories, and created iconic characters like Tommy Vercetti, Arthur Morgan, Trevor Phillips and John Marston to name just a few. Houser’s team at Absurd Ventures includes key leaders and talent from his time at Rockstar Games as well as executive game development veterans who worked on Call of Duty, Pokemon Go! and many other AAA franchises. Absurd Ventures is currently at work building a bold new vision with diverse new IP universes across a wide array of mediums, including video games as well as live-action and animated TV and film, audio fiction podcasts, books, comic books and more. While Absurd Ventures’ video game projects are in early stages of development, they have in 2024 released a hit audio fiction series set in their science-fiction universe, A BETTER PARADISE, which debuted at #1 on Apple’s Fiction charts, and will be introducing their AMERICAN CAPER crime-fiction universe as an original comic book series in 2025. A third IP universe from Absurd Ventures will also be revealed soon.

Smilegate is the creator of the blockbuster franchises “CROSSFIRE”, “Lost Ark”, and “Epic Seven”, that are hugely beloved in the global market. “CROSSFIRE”, launched in 2007, is a first-person shooting game and is currently played in more than 80 countries worldwide by approximately 1 billion gamers. Smilegate’s flagship MMORPG “Lost Ark”, is played in 160 countries by 1..32M concurrent users. Smilegate is steadily solidifying its position as a ‘Global IP powerhouse’.

Smilegate and Absurd Ventures will each leverage the strength of the other into new and sustainable business opportunities. Smilegate will benefit from Houser and his team’s proven narrative, AAA game and business expertise in the Western market, while Absurd will benefit from Smilegate’s expertise in the Asian market. The two companies will pool each other’s strengths in areas such as online/live service, given Smilegate’s success with CROSSFIRE and Houser and his team’s experience overseeing the wildly successful Grand Theft Auto Online.

Dan Houser, Founder of Absurd Ventures, said, “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 AAA games. We both want to build interesting worlds and new player experiences.” 

Joonho Sung, CEO of Smilegate, said, “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.”

Smilegate was advised by DLA Piper and Absurd Ventures was advised by Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, P.C. with respect to the transaction.

About Smilegate: Smilegate is a global game development and publishing company headquartered in South Korea with regional offices in the United States, China, and Japan. Its flagship franchise ‘CROSSFIRE,’ is one of the largest and most successful franchises in gaming history. It has more than 1 billion registered users to date in PC and mobile platforms and over 8 million concurrent players globally. Its latest project, ‘Lost Ark,’ is an MMORPG that was released in South Korea in 2018 and was launched in North America and Europe in February, 2021. Lost Ark recorded concurrent players on Steam with over 1.32M. Learn more by visiting Smilegate.com

About Absurd Ventures: Absurd Ventures is an entertainment company creating new IP across all mediums. Absurd Ventures’ original properties include the sci-fi thriller universe “A Better Paradise” and the crime fiction universe “American Caper,” whose characters, stories and lore are currently being produced and developed for video games, live-action and animated TV and film, fiction podcasts, books, comic books and more. The company has already launched a chart-topping audio fiction series set in the “A Better Paradise” universe and will be debuting an American Caper comics series in 2025. Founded by Dan Houser, Absurd Ventures is headquartered in Santa Monica, with additional studio offices in Marin, CA. 

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SOURCE Smilegate

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B&R Technology Merger Corp. Announces Pricing of $325 Million Initial Public Offering

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NEW YORK, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — B&R Technology Merger Corp. (the “Company”) announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 32,500,000 units at $10.00 per unit. The units will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “BRTMU” commencing on July 21, 2026. Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share of the Company and one-third of one warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share of the Company at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. Once the securities constituting the units begin separate trading, the Company expects that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols ” BRTM” and ” BRTMW,” respectively.

The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. It may pursue an initial business combination target in any business or industry.

Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (“Citigroup”) is acting as sole bookrunner and representative of the underwriters. The Company has granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 4,875,000 additional units at the initial public offering price to cover over-allotments, if any.

This offering will only be made by means of a prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus relating to the offering and final prospectus, when available, may be obtained from Citigroup, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717 or by telephone at (800) 831-9146.

A registration statement relating to these securities has been declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any State or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such State or jurisdiction.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements,” including with respect to the proposed initial public offering and the anticipated use of the net proceeds. No assurance can be given that the offering discussed above will be completed on the terms described, or at all, or that the net proceeds of the offering will be used as indicated. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s registration statement and preliminary prospectus for the Company’s offering filed with the SEC. Copies are available on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/br-technology-merger-corp-announces-pricing-of-325-million-initial-public-offering-302830053.html

SOURCE B&R Technology Merger Corp.

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Paris-Planet Is Back with a Fresh New Way to Explore Paris

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MONTREAL, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Planning a trip to Paris just got a little easier.

Paris-Planet has officially relaunched with a completely redesigned website that helps travelers discover and book some of Paris’s best museums, attractions, tours, and local experiences in one place.

The new site was built for people who want to spend less time jumping between dozens of websites and more time getting excited about their trip. Whether it’s your first visit to Paris or your fifth, Paris-Planet brings together the experiences that make the city unforgettable.

“We wanted to build the kind of website we would actually use ourselves,” said Chaz Desousa, founder of Paris-Planet. “There are so many incredible things to see in Paris, but planning a trip can quickly become overwhelming. Our goal was to make discovering and booking experiences simple, inspiring, and enjoyable.”

Visitors can browse everything from famous landmarks and museums to food tours, river cruises, walking tours, family activities, and seasonal events. Along with tickets and experiences, the site also features destination guides, travel tips, and ideas for making the most of every day in Paris.

The relaunch also includes a faster website, improved navigation, and a mobile-friendly design, making it easy for travelers to plan before they leave home or while they’re already exploring the city.

Activity provider can sign up here to Sell Paris Tours & Tickets Online

Paris remains one of the world’s most visited destinations, welcoming millions of visitors every year. Paris-Planet was created to help those travelers spend less time searching and more time experiencing everything the city has to offer.

About Paris-Planet

Paris-Planet is an online travel guide and booking platform focused exclusively on Paris. The website helps visitors discover museums, attractions, tours, activities, and unique local experiences while making trip planning simple and enjoyable.

For more information, visit www.paris-planet.com.

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SOURCE Paris-Planet

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Fox ESS Launches POWER BEAST to Simplify C&I Energy Storage Deployment

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SYDNEY, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fox ESS, a global leader in renewable energy solutions, has announced the Australian launch of POWER BEAST, a scalable commercial and industrial energy storage solution combining the H3 Plus Hybrid Inverter with the CQ7 High Voltage Storage Battery.

Traditional commercial battery systems often require extensive cabling, multiple connection points, and significant on-site assembly, “POWER BEAST combines a compact dual-stack design with fast, plug-and-play installation, reducing system height and installation complexity,” said Brooks Richard Geng, APAC & Middle East Managing Director at Fox ESS. “By integrating the H3 Plus with the scalable CQ7 platform, we are helping partners lower costs, save space and deliver C&I projects with greater confidence.”

POWER BEAST is built around the H3 Plus Hybrid Inverter, the modular CQ7 High Voltage Battery and the optional CQ7 Dual Tower Base. Available with AC output from 50 kW to 125 kW, the H3 Plus supports up to three independent battery inputs.

When paired with CQ7 batteries, a single inverter can support up to 292 kWh of storage capacity. Multiple POWER BEAST systems can scale up to 3.125 MW / 7.35 MWh for on-grid applications and 1.25 MW / 2.94 MWh for off-grid applications.

For projects targeting the NSW PDRS BESS4 capacity range, one H3 Plus 100 kW inverter paired with two CQ7 battery stacks provides approximately 195 kWh of storage capacity, allowing projects to maximise potential incentive value.

A key feature of POWER BEAST is the CQ7 Dual Tower Base, which supports two battery stacks on one shared base and keeps system height under 1.3 m. Pre-installed power and communication connections simplify installation and reduce wiring risks, while the system integrates solar PV, battery storage, EPS backup, generator and EV charging, with approximately five-second module installation.

By combining the H3 Plus Hybrid Inverter, modular CQ7 storage and the Dual Tower Base accessory, POWER BEAST provides installers, EPCs, distributors and project partners with a scalable C&I platform designed to reduce installation complexity and make more efficient use of available space. For more information, please visit: https://au.fox-ess.com/

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SOURCE Fox ESS

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