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After 21 years, Warner Bros. closes Rooster Teeth, the production company behind Red versus blue and RWBY, among other titles. The process is expected to take several months, according to a notice from Rooster Teeth general manager Jordan Levin. posted Wednesday on the Rooster Teeth website. Roost Podcast Network, which features podcasts like Kinda Funny and RT Podcast, will remain with Warner Bros. as the company looks to sell the network.
Warner Bros. will still release a full, unspecified film produced by Rooster Teeth and other projects in the works, and is “exploring options” for Rooster Teeth content. according to deadline. Reported variety It was announced on Wednesday that around 150 full-time workers will be laid off and that “dozens of contractors and content creators” will also be suddenly affected.
Levin attributed the closure to “the challenges facing digital media as a result of fundamental changes in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising and sponsorship.”
The company was founded in 2003 and with it emerged Red versus bluea machinima style show that used aura to tell a story about two opposing and isolated groups of soldiers thrown into a barren canyon. The program quickly became a success; It took a game that people loved: the original aura – and created a parody of both wartime narratives and military video games. The most important thing is that it was only fun – at least that’s how it was for me when I was a teenager. Twenty-one years later, I still sometimes mutter to myself a line from the first episode: Have you ever wondered why we are here? Red versus blueThe final season is scheduled for this year.
“While unintentional, it’s fitting that our final season of ‘Red vs. Blue’ coincides with us navigating this shutdown together,” Levin wrote. “Our legacy is not just a collection of content, but a story of pixels etched into our screens, minds and hearts. “Rooster Teeth has left an indelible mark on the media industry and we should be very proud of the countless ways we pioneered a business that connects creators and content with a dedicated community.”
Rooster Teeth eventually branched out from there, with shows like Achievement unlocked and let’s Play. His next big hit, an anime-style web series called RWBYdebuted in 2013. The following year, Fullscreen acquired Rooster Teeth before the production company released its first film, Lazer Team. That acquisition began a series of mergers and restructurings that led to the consolidation of Rooster Teeth under AT&T. AT&T attempted to sell Rooster Teeth in 2021, saying its revenue fell $20 million in 2019. Rooster Teeth No be sold, so it was included in the AT&T deal that merged WarnerMedia with Discovery to create Warner Bros. Discovery.
Rooster Teeth, while still popular, struggled to maintain the wacky charm and easy humor of its early days. The company also faced several serious controversies, including RWBY The withdrawal of actor Vic Mignogna from the program after accusations of sexual harassment, as well as as several cases of alleged workplace misconduct.
On social media, Rooster Teeth fans sought to support the company’s laid-off staff and called the impending closure “the end of an era.” Although Rooster Teeth has changed a lot over the years, and not always for the better, many people fondly remember the works he created.