Rooster Teeth, the internet-based movie and TV show production company that got its start with viral comedy videos that were made inside the original Halo game, is shutting down after nearly 21 years.
In a post on the official Rooster Teeth site, the company posted a memo that was sent to all of its employees announcing its closing. It said this decision was made "due to challenges facing digital media resulting from fundamental shifts in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising, and patronage."
One part of Rooster Teeth, its Roost Podcast Network, will continue to operate while Rooster Teeth"s owners Warner Bros Discovery look into selling the network to other parties. Deadline reports that the company is looking into options for Rooster Teeth"s IP. It adds there is some future content from the company that is already completed, such as a new movie that will be released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
The Austin, Texas-based Rooster Teeth team began by launching Red Vs Blue in 2003 It was a comedy series that was created inside the game engine of the first Halo game. The videos quickly became viral hits, and the series continued with updates based on the subsequent games in the Halo franchise. Microsoft even got the team to make promotional videos for many games in the series over the years.
Rooster Teeth later expanded to launch other live-action and animated series and movies, including popular titles like RWBY and Gen:LOCK. It also expanded to include the production of video games and live action fan events like RTX.
The company"s statement said that there will be a live stream event that will be held on Thursday, March 7 on its website to explain what will happen to its content in the near future. A specific time for the event was not immediately revealed.