What's The Big Deal About 'Rooster Teeth,' And Why Is It Being Shut Down?

Yesterday, the shutdown of the popular web series and gaming content production company Rooster Teeth had the online community feeling shaken. Many are concerned by Warner Bros' decision to get rid of the company, and many more are worried about what's going to happen to their favorite shows. Here's everything to know about the controversial Rooster Teeth shutdown.

What Is Rooster Teeth?

Rooster Teeth is (or was) a production company based in Austin, Texas. It had a large following of fans online, who enjoyed the many web series shows the studio had put out since it was created in 2000 when it was known as drunkgamers.com. Since then, it's gone on to produce quite a few shows, the most notable of which is RWBY.

It not only focuses on these narrative shows but also caters to gaming. It has several subdivisions, like the gaming website Achievement Hunter and the YouTube channel Funhaus.

Why Did Rooster Teeth Shut Down?

On March 6th, 20204, the Rooster Teeth team announced the shutdown on their website. A short snippet of their lengthy post can be seen below:

Dear Rooster Teeth,

Since our founders created and uploaded their first video on the then-called World Wide Web in 2003, Rooster Teeth has been a source of creativity, laughter, and lasting innovation in the wildly volatile media industry.

We’ve read the headlines about industry-wide layoffs and closures, and you’ve heard me give my perspective and updates on the rapidly changing state of media and entertainment during each of our monthly All Hands meetings.

Since inheriting ownership and control of Rooster Teeth from AT&T following its acquisition of TimeWarner, Warner Bros. Discovery continued its investment in our company, content and community. Now however, it’s with a heavy heart I announce that Rooster Teeth is shutting down due to challenges facing digital media resulting from fundamental shifts in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising, and patronage.

Please note, the Roost team is not currently impacted by this action as the Roost Podcast Network will continue operating and fulfilling its obligations while WBD evaluates outside interest in acquiring this growing asset.

We have many questions to answer in the coming days and weeks, and the opportunity to work together to implement the best way to wind things down for us and our community. We’re working through what comes next in real time, and we will be as open, direct, and accessible as possible. Thank you all in advance for your patience and support of one another.

Let's take a moment to celebrate our 21-year contribution to the zeitgeist, advancing creativity and outlasting many of our peers from the early days of online video and digital-first content.

In essence, the shutdown happened due to the same thing that's been harming numerous media industries lately — changing forms of media and monetization, likely including reduced profit due to perceived obstacles to creativity like AI.

Unfortunately, a lot of media companies are suffering from similar problems this year. Many are putting the blame on Warner Bros, however, particularly due to rumors that the numerous shows the production company worked on could be sold pretty much immediately.

How Is Social Media Responding To The Rooster Teeth Shutdown?

Many people have something to say about Rooster Teeth shutting down. Most of these people are fans of the shows the company has produced over the years. Others are former employees.

There are a lot of people reposting some of their favorite clips from shows like RWBY. There's also some memes going around, too. Overall, the consensus seems to be that the shutdown is a really unfortunate event. Some are remaining optimistic, particularly about the futures of their favorite shows, but others are less than excited.

For the full history of Rooster Teeth, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.