Mar 6, 2024

Warner Bros. Discovery is shutting down "RWBY", "Gen:Lock" animation studio Rooster teeth

The Austin, Texas-based Internet animation studio Rooster Teeth, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, will be shut down after 21 years. General Manager Jordan Levin announced the closure of the studio at the All Hands meeting on Wednesday 3/6 and the accompanying letter.

The closure will result in about 150 rooster teeth full-time employees being laid off, in addition to dozens of freelancers and contractors.

In his letter fully available at the bottom of this article, Levin wrote:

[I]t's with a heavy heart I announce that rooster teeth are shutting down due to the challenges facing digital media stemming from fundamental changes in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising, and sponsorship.

The rooster's teeth have been operating at a loss for years. In 2023/10, Rooster Teeth showrunner Kerry Shawcross posted a video explaining that the change in online advertising revenue on Youtube, a key platform for Rooster Teeth programming, is causing the company to suffer financially.

As you may have heard, we're changing things a bit here with Rooster Teeth. These changes will allow you to keep creating new projects and upcoming projects, with the content you know and like Your support means the world to us, and you will be able to create new projects.私達は持っていることにとても感謝しています...pic.twitter.com/jGyycDZob4

-Rooster Teeth(@Rooster Teeth)2023年10月5日

To prevent bleeding, Rooster Teeth has removed a significant portion of its most popular content from Youtube and restricted it to the Rooster Teeth website only.Ad revenue is sent directly to the studio, not to the hosting platform. The move seems ineffective or too late to have a significant impact.

Rooster Teeth was founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, who first hit out of the gate with red vs. blue.

One of the longest running web series to date, Red vs.1.Blue, set in the Halo video game world and animated via a video game engine, the series, although visually limited in its early days, gained popularity thanks to its fun, witty characters and innovative storytelling.

Ownership of Rooster Teeth changed hands several times over the years and eventually landed under the Warnermedia catalog after the company was purchased by AT&T in 2018. According to reports, WBD had been trying to sell rooster teeth for some time, but could not find a buyer. The parent company is still hoping to sell some of the Rooster Teeth catalog, including the Red Pair.Blue and other popular web series like RWBY and Gen: Lock.rwby is like Rwby and Rwby

in a statement, Warner Bros. Discovery said: The discovery thanks Rooster Teeth groundbreaking creators and partners and a strong management team for their many years of success. Your passionate and loyal fans are a testament to your achievements.

Although the label is closed, the Roost Podcast Network, which distributes over 80 podcasts, will continue its operations while WBD is looking for buyers for its services.

Here's Levin's letter to the Rooster Teeth staff:

Dear Rooster Teeth,

Since our founders created and uploaded their first video on the World Wide Web called at the time in 2003, Rooster Teeth has been a creative, creative and creative force in a wildly volatile media industry. It has become a source of laughter, and persistent innovation.

We've read headlines about industry-wide layoffs and closures, and you can see that I've taken over ownership and control of Rooster Teeth from At&T since the acquisition of Timewarner

between my perspective and each of my monthly all-hands meetings Warner Bros.Discovery continued to invest in us, our content, and our community. But now it Has a Heavy Heart I announce that the Rooster Teeth are being shut down because of the challenges facing digital media due to fundamental changes in consumer behavior and monetization between platforms, advertising, and patronage.

Note that the Roost team is not currently affected by this action. The Roost Podcast network will continue to operate and fulfill its obligations while assessing external interest to acquire this growing asset.

In the coming days and weeks, we will have many questions to answer and the opportunity to work together to implement the best way to get things done for us and our community. We are working through what comes next in real time, and we will be as open, direct, and accessible as possible. Thank you all in advance for your patience and support of each other.

Let's take the time to celebrate the 21-year contribution to the zeitgeist, improving creativity and outlasting many of our peers from the early days of online video and digital-first content.

To the creative legacy

From garages in Buda, Texas, to global screens large and small, our team of dreamers and performers have grown, introducing what stood out the teeth of the Rooster: animation, comedy, and games. From new forms of anime comedy with Masinima to countless viral memes including the Immortal Snail (aka Snail Assassin), a US-born anime series accepted into Japan as anime, and a record-breaking (at the time) crowdfunding film. You have accomplished a lot and made your dreams come true here. We've turned the original IP into a video game, a cartoon or a Vtuber. You've directed short videos, mo-caps, and movies. You've manipulated puppets, hosted podcasts, and built a thriving community that spreads around the world. Your creativity knows no limits, and wherever your path may take you, you will continue to contribute greatly to the culture.

To Those Who Come First

Despite going through many corporate owners, the Rooster Teeth were a dynamic movement that transcended the media business and shaped the bonds between communities, creators and storytelling. Our founders didn't have a blueprint for the media empire, but they built one with the community that fueled its remarkable growth In its early days, RT relied on community sponsorship through time, dollars, and unwavering passion.1 The volunteers evolved into staff, and the snowball effect increased, allowing them to share new relationships, marriages, births, and life-changing experiences.

To the pioneers of content creation

Our approach to content creation on emerging platforms has paved the way for new media models. We've inspired creators for generations, including streaming, Machinima, animation, let's play, March drop, tours, and podcasting. Companies like GameStop, YouTube, Facebook, Spotify and TikTok set the standard for what digital-first brands are, so we asked them to work with them in the early days..Facebook has set standards for what we are a digital-first brand. We took content boldly beyond the screen and into a community-driven experience.

To a changing industry

Every story gets to its final page. The closure of Rooster Teeth is not just the end.It reflects broader business dynamics. Monetization shifts, platform algorithms, advertising challenges, and the decline and flow of patronage - all these convergence factors have led to many closures in the industry. We share our plans for shows, franchises, partnerships, and merchandise right away, while we learn about daily programming updates.内部的にチームと上のコミュニティとそれらの更新を共有しますRoosterTeeth.com

To Final Season

Unintentionally, it's only appropriate that the last season of "Red vs. Blue" coincides with navigating this closure together. Our legacy is not just a collection of content, but a history of pixels baked into the screen, mind and heart. We should be proud of the countless ways we have pioneered the business of connecting creators and content with a dedicated community.

Respectful, grateful, and sincere gratitude,

Jordan Levin