Obituary: Rooster Teeth (2003-2024)

Rooster Teeth has closed down. Announced in an open letter by its general manager in March, operations officially ceased on May 15th 2024. The production company, most famous for its Halo machinima web-series Red vs Blue, had been operating since April 2003. In that time, it had grown to include live-action shorts, several animation series (including the wildly successful RWBY), gameplay videos, original video game production, and multiple live-action films. Notably, the company was also home to a plethora of podcasts. Its flagship show, The Rooster Teeth Podcast, aired weekly from 2008 until the company closed – a tenure of over 15 years. In recent years, partly spurred by the COVID-19 lockdowns, the company had developed a number of other highly successful podcasts. In fact, when the closure was announced, the company’s podcast network, The Roost, was one of the only arms the parent company Warner Bros. Discovery saw fit to maintain and sell.

The cast and crew of many of the company’s most popular audio-only shows have announced they plan to continue to work together

While announcement of the closure came as a shock to Rooster Teeth staff and fans alike, there is good news, especially if you enjoyed any of Rooster Teeth’s podcasts. The cast and crew of many of the company’s most popular audio-only shows have announced they plan to continue to work together to create near-identical shows, albeit with different branding. Examples include F**kface, which will now be called Regulation Podcast (an inside-joke based on the show’s four-year lore) and Face Jam will now be 100% Eat. The long-running Dungeons & Dragons podcast Tales from the Stinky Dragon also plans to continue as an independent enterprise, and the 2023-2024 cast of The Rooster Teeth Podcast have announced a new venture together named Midnight Snack. Many of these new independent shows will rely on direct funding from its audience, such as through Patreon. 

Twenty one years is an awe-inspiring lifespan for an online entertainment company. Rooster Teeth had an incredibly loyal fanbase, many of whom financially supported the company through its FIRST membership scheme, and travelled to Austin, Texas in swathes every summer for the annual RTX convention. The closure is undeniably sad. Many jobs have been lost and, while the severance packages were reportedly quite agreeable, dozens of talented creatives and technicians now have no steady income. Instead, they rely on our support. If you enjoyed the work any of these individuals did under the Rooster Teeth brand, please follow them to their next venture. If audiences can emerge from mourning this beloved company and show loyalty to the individuals rather than just the parent brand, the future remains bright for these newly independent podcasts.