Following their closure in 2024, Rooster Teeth is making a resurgence.
Rooster Teeth, the production company behind beloved series like "Red vs. Blue" and "RWBY," is bucking the trend of shutdowns and layoffs, making a comeback after a nine-month hiatus. The announcement came as a shock to its 859,000 Twitter followers, with a classic Rooster Teeth-style tweet reading "butts."
This unexpected revival was spearheaded by founder Burnie Burns, who parted ways with the company in 2020 but later acquired its remaining assets through his independent production company, Box Canyon Productions. The new iteration of Rooster Teeth's website welcomes visitors with a "new management" tag and a video titled "Homecoming," featuring Burns returning to the Austin-based studio with a milk purchase story.
Rooster Teeth's closure in March 2024 was a result of Warner Bros. Discovery's decision to shutter it after acquiring the brand in 2022. Despite attempts to sell the company, it wasn't successful, leading to 150 employees, contractors, and staff members figuring out the company's fate. Before its demise, Rooster Teeth amassed a substantial following of 30 million subscribers on YouTube.
Burnie expressed his excitement towards bringing Rooster Teeth back to its roots in a press release. He emphasized the brand's strong dedication to its fans and looked forward to writing another chapter together. Fans keen to learn more about the re-launch were encouraged to listen to the February 5th episode of the "Morning Somewhere" podcast.
Rooster Teeth's early success can be traced back to its founding in 2003 as a web series for the machinima Halo series, "Red vs. Blue," and its transition into one of the first YouTube-era production companies that focused on original content. With Burnie back at the helm, fans can anticipate a renewed dedication to Rooster Teeth's original mission: "to entertain, inspire, and connect."
The revival of Rooster Teeth signals a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy landscape, with companies like G4 TV facing cancellations and video game developers dealing with layoffs. Burnie's return to his brainchild may bring back the cherished personalities that defined Rooster Teeth through its formative years as an entertainment and variety show.
While details about the classic shows revival are unclear, Burnie hinted at reviving beloved series like "Red vs. Blue," "RWBY," and "Gen:LOCK". The company plans to share more information in a Q&A session for Patreon subscribers of Burns' podcast, "Morning Somewhere."
Burnie's acquisition of Rooster Teeth's remaining assets leaves the fate of its action-sci-fi anime series, "RWBY," up in the air. Manga and anime publisher, Viz Media, announced that it would acquire the flagship series and explore the production of new chapters in the RWBY saga. Io9 reached out to Rooster Teeth to clarify if RWBY's return would involve a joint production between itself and Viz Media.
[1] Variety[2] Mashable[3] Polygon[4] Burnie Burns' "Morning Somewhere" podcast[5] Rooster Teeth's press release
The revival of Rooster Teeth under Burnie Burns' leadership has sparked anticipation for the future of technology-driven entertainment, as fans eagerly await the possible return of series like "Red vs. Blue" and "RWBY" on the platform. The news of Io9 reaching out to Rooster Teeth for clarification regarding a potential joint production with Viz Media for "RWBY" further adds to the buzz surrounding the brand's comeback.
