The future of several
animated series beloved by millions of fans around the world is in danger,
as Warner Bros. has announced the permanent closure of Rooster
Teeth . Among those affected are the acclaimed Gen:Lock , Red
vs. Blue and RWBY .
According
to The Hollywood Reporter, Rooster Teeth is being shut down after numerous
failed attempts to sell the company. Rooster
Teeth general manager Jordan Levin confirmed the news on March 6, unleashing
uncertainty for its approximately 150 permanent employees, content creators and
voice actors associated with its series.
A statement
from Warner Bros. Discovery expresses its gratitude to the innovative
creators and partners of Rooster Teeth , as well as the strong
management team, for its many years of success. However, an internal memo
obtained by Variety adds to Levin's message to employees, noting that “it is
with great regret that I announce that Rooster Teeth is closing due to the
challenges facing digital media as a result of fundamental changes in the
consumer behavior and monetization on platforms, advertising and sponsorship .”
Rooster
Teeth has left an indelible legacy with series like RWBY, considered one of the
greatest tributes to what is now called “western anime.” Although the future of the
franchise is uncertain, the company is actively seeking buyers along with
Gen:Lock and Red vs. Blue.
This
closure of Rooster Teeth is just the latest in a series of layoffs in the entertainment
industry. Warner Bros. is
not alone in this trend, with Epic Games laying off 800 employees late last
year and concerns growing over Sony's deal to handle Disney's domestic
distribution.
And of course, the
news did not go without comments:
- « End of an era. Rooster
Teeth had its share of problems, undeniable, but I hope all the talent can
find new, stable work after this. They are good people who are passionate
about what they do. I don't know to what extent this is Warner Bros.'
fault or a consequence of Rooster Teeth's own internal problems (which
could very well be linked to WB anyway), but in any case, Zaslav sucks ."
- « Part of me thinks this
should have happened a long time ago given all the horror stories from the
workers there and the revelation that RWBY was never profitable, part of
me thought they would release that last season of RWBY before closing. As
things stand, the IP is for sale and whoever buys it will probably be
better off restarting it from scratch .
- « Normally I would totally
agree, as I've always thought that Red vs Blue was its only claim to fame,
but Discovery has been a cancer when it comes to mismanagement, purchasing
and subsequent cancellation of everything it touches. If you are a content
creator or give a shit about your company/workers/projects, it has been
clear for a decade that you run the risk of having the rug pulled out from
under you as soon as you start dealing with Discovery .
- « Unfortunately, the
problems that killed Rooster Teeth existed long before Warner/Discovery
acquired them. I can't speak for the current employees, but I have worked
with and know several who started in the mid-2000s and left around 2015.
At that point they were already well into creating videos for the
twittersphere and not what the fansbase wanted. The rest... well, it's
history .
- " It may be
officially over now, but Rooster Teeth died a long time ago ."
- « Warner Bros. was on
a downsizing spree a few years ago I would assume this was part of it. I'm
surprised it took so long .
- « What does this mean for
RWBY? Are they going to have to sell the IP to another company to continue
with the program? I don't want to see how they cancel my favorite
show RWBY .
- « Variety's article on the
closure states that Rooster Teeth had not been profitable in a decade. It
goes without saying, but that suggests his problems predate Zaslav. This
is an example of a company that grew beyond its means. Rooster Teeth
started as a couple of friends recording silly voiceovers for video game
sequences. It died as a serious attempt to be a media
production/distribution company .
- « I think the most
chilling thing about this news is that supposedly the people who work
at Rooster Teeth found out on social media. At this point,
whether you liked RWBY or not, or think that it is the worst thing that
has happened to anime in America or any other stupidity, people have lost
their jobs and I wouldn't be surprised if this happened due to a mix
between bad management by part of RT, and David Zaslav's obsession with
canceling and deleting a lot of WB media for tax relief .
- « Those first seasons of
Red vs. Blue were absolutely seminal in my Internet neophyte days. The
group no longer exists except in name, but it is a shame that it
disappears .
- « I haven't watched RWBY
since season 3 and the series went downhill. Outside of that, the only
other thing I remember watching was Red VS Blue when it first aired and then
it also went downhill over time as Rooster Teeth became more corporate and
less “some friends getting together and making videos” ».
Source: Deadline
