I’m proud to call myself a geek and a nerd, and there are certain shows, comics, video games, and internet channels that helped me grow in my nerddom and understand just how epic it was to love certain franchises and media. Rooster Teeth was one such channel I enjoyed. Whether it was Red Vs. Blue, RWBY, or Death Battle once they bought the channel, I enjoyed watching their content. They did Cons for their fans, they did big charity events, and it was honestly a company I hoped to work for one day as a writer. Sadly, that’s not likely to happen, as Warner Bros Discovery has decided to shut it down.
This was confirmed both by Deadline and by Rooster Teeth themselves on their website. They cite that the reason for the shutdown is due to the “rapidly changing state of media and entertainment” and the struggles of monetization in the digital space.
They noted that their podcast network would still be operational for a while, and that they have projects that will finish before the company shuts down in a few months.
Naturally, I and other Rooster Teeth fans are stunned by this, and the fate of many shows, including Death Battle and RWBY are now up in the air in the worst way. The worst part is that I’m not surprised WBD shut Rooster Teeth down because they’ve been trying to “cut costs” to save themselves from the debt they’re under, and they’ve been targeting the animation part of their company rather hard, which RT falls under.
Hopefully, something comes around to save everything, because this company has been around for 20 years, and fans know they have a lot more still to give.
My heart and condolences goes out to all who have or will lose their jobs because of this shutdown.
