Rooster Teeth is being closed by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery after 21 years of creating content on the internet.
Gaming and entertainment company Rooster Teeth Productions is being shut down. Since 2003, Rooster Teeth has grown into one of the biggest companies for creating content on the internet, garnering a huge fanbase for popular formats like Achievement Hunter, Fails of the Week or webseries like Red vs. Blue and RWBY.
In 2014, Rooster Teeth was acquired by the AT&T-owned company Fullscreen and ended up being owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The parent company has now decided to completely shut down operations at Rooster Teeth, resulting in roughly 150 full-time employees losing their jobs.
Long-Running Entertainment Company Rooster Teeth Shutting Down
In a statement on the company’s website, General Manager Jordan Levin announced that the company is shutting down, citing “challenges facing digital media resulting from fundamental shifts in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising, and patronage” as the reason for this decision. This process will take several weeks, possibly months.
One silver lining remains here, as the Roost Podcast Network will continue to exist – at least for the time being. WBD is looking into selling the podcast brand, as they were trying (and failing) to do with Rooster Teeth as a whole.
The impact and legacy of Rooster Teeth’s 21-years-long run cannot be overstated. Internet content creation was still in its infancy in the 2000s and what we have today is in large parts influenced by Rooster Teeth and their beloved work. The company has long been more than a bunch of guys in a garage making fun videos and podcasts on the internet. Rooster Teeth started making feature films in 2015 and has also started developing and publishing games themselves.
Their most iconic show, Red vs. Blue, was a huge trendsetter in how people can create fun, entertaining videos using games in creative and unexpected ways. The show has changed a lot over the years but has still been going on this whole time. The last season will be released this year, coinciding with the closing of the company.
While Levin saying, that “We inspired generations of creators across streaming, machinima, animation, let’s plays, merch drops, touring, podcasting, and more” can be read as pandering, he is not wrong. The legacy of Rooster Teeth is undeniable and it’s a shame that all of this is coming to an end.