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I'll admit, my feelings were mixed when the news broke that Warner Bros. Discovery was closing down Rooster Teeth, the little internet pioneer that could, after 21 years in business and unsuccessful attempts to sell the company.
To be fair, as a fan of the series that made them famous, the Halo parody "Red vs. Blue," which is set to have a final season sometime this spring, it's sad to see the company that created a show that was a huge part of my teenage and college years go up in smoke. It's sad to see the approximately 150 talented folks that work there lose their jobs and have to start over somewhere else.
And while it's good, I guess, that WBD is going to try and sell off RT's more popular series catalogs such as "Red vs. Blue," the popular anime "RWBY" and "Gen:Lock" by Michael B. Jordan in order to allow these series to continue to gain fans, it's sad because a part of a rich era of the internet is ending with a whimper; a slow downfall over several years that included multiple changes in ownership and outrage over a lacking quality to its content from some small, yet vocal subsects of the fanbase.
According to a March 6 story from Variety, Rooster Teeth has operated at a financial loss for the past decade, and its annual convention in Austin, Texas, RTX, was canceled earlier this year.
Two years ago, the company was embroiled in controversy after former employee Kdin Jenzen, who worked there from 2013 until 2022, came forward in a blog post with allegations of harassment, grueling hours, low pay and unpaid work, forcing a company apology and later a statement from company co-founder Geoff Ramsey.
"The long and short of it is that I (expletive) sucked," Ramsey wrote at the time. "I was a (expletive), self-loathing poor excuse for a 'comedian,' who only knew how to express myself by externalizing that feeling under the guise of edgy comedy." He didn't "fully understand this about myself until I got sober," saying that he had apologized privately to Jenzen in 2016 and 2020, according to a 2022 story from Variety.
Rooster Teeth general manager Jordan Levin did close his memo to staff regarding the closure on a positive note.
"Though not intentional, it's only appropriate that our last season of "Red vs. Blue" coincides with us navigating this closure together," Levin wrote. "Our legacy is not just a collection of content but a history of pixels burned into our screens, minds, and hearts. Rooster Teeth has made an indelible mark on the media industry, and we should be so proud of the countless ways we pioneered a business connecting creators and content with a dedicated community."
The first episode of "Red vs Blue" opens with Simmons asking Grif, "Do you ever wonder why we're here?"
You were here for your community, Rooster Teeth. And your community is grateful.
Dan Isenberg is a copy editor who writes about whatever strikes his fancy for the Mirror. He can be reached at disenberg@altoonamirror.com or on X @TheseDanTweets, and no, he won't change his handle.