Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC was an American entertainment company based in Austin, Texas. It was started in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman. Rooster Teeth was part of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming & Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The company’s first production was Red vs. Blue, which began in April 2003. It is one of the longest-running web series with episodes. To help cover costs for hosting their videos online, the founders created a program called "Sponsorships," which later became "FIRST." This program offered supporters early access to content, discounts on merchandise, and other benefits. Over time, Rooster Teeth expanded into live-action videos, comedy shows, Let's Play videos, and full animated productions. Other projects included reality shows, video games, entertainment news, and podcasts. In 2015, the company released its first feature film, Lazer Team, a science-fiction action comedy. Rooster Teeth also held an annual convention called RTX in Austin, Texas, and in Sydney and London from 2011 to 2023.
The company’s videos were shared on its own website and app. Podcasts and Let's Play videos were also posted on their YouTube channel. As of September 2021, Rooster Teeth’s main YouTube channel had 9.18 million subscribers and over 6 billion video views. Including all of their other channels, they had more than 45 million subscribers.
On March 6, 2024, Rooster Teeth announced it would close. On April 15, 2024, the company said its "FIRST" program, website, and apps would shut down on May 15, 2024. In February 2025, Burnie Burns bought the Rooster Teeth brand and some of its remaining intellectual property through his company, Box Canyon Productions.
History
Burnie Burns and Matt Hullum met actor Joel Heyman while studying at the University of Texas at Austin. Together, they created The Schedule, an independent film released in 1997. This film helped Hullum and Heyman find work in Los Angeles, but it did not become widely successful. Later, while working for a company called Telenetwork, Burns met Geoff Ramsey (then known as Geoff Fink), Gustavo Sorola, Dan Godwin, and Jason Saldaña. These five individuals started a website called drunkgamers.com, where they reviewed video games while drinking alcohol. Ramsey explained that the group tried to get free games to review, but this action upset some game developers.
One of the videos the group made was a live-action parody of Apple’s Switch ad campaign. This video featured Sorola as the main actor, used music from Peter Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and focused on the lack of games for Apple Macintosh computers. Sorola and Burns said the name Drunk Gamers was changed to Rooster Teeth because people were unwilling to support content with "drunk" in the title, calling it unprofessional. Burns explained the name change showed the group intended to create more than just drinking-related content. The name "Rooster Teeth" was a nickname for "cockbite," an insult from the original Red vs. Blue trailer, which Burns said was meaningful to the audience.
Burns stated that Rooster Teeth’s philosophy was to create content the team would want to watch, emphasizing authenticity. By 2017, the cost to produce one episode ranged from $15,000 to $100,000. Rooster Teeth used a mix of business strategies, including subscriptions, ads, licensed productions, merchandise, and live events.
The company initially avoided joining YouTube, considering it a competitor. In 2014, Rooster Teeth moved into Stage 5 at Austin Studios, where over 90 employees worked. In 2014, Fullscreen acquired Rooster Teeth for an undisclosed amount, giving the company resources to compete with larger producers like Netflix, HBO, and Amazon. In 2015, Rooster Teeth opened an office in Los Angeles for a new division called Funhaus and released their first feature film, Lazer Team, a science fiction comedy.
In 2016, Rooster Teeth hired three executives to expand its audience: Luis Medina, Evan Bregman, and Ryan P. Hall. Medina managed partnerships and the Let’s Play family of shows, Bregman focused on programming and growth across platforms, and Hall oversaw development of new projects and talent.
Each year, Rooster Teeth participated in Extra Life, a gaming-themed fundraiser. In 2017, they raised $1,209,970.73 for Dell Children’s Medical Center. In 2018, they raised $1,417,288, and in 2019, $1,222,371. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their 2020 stream was shortened to 12 hours, raising $1,163,801.
In 2018, Ezra Cooperstein became president of Rooster Teeth. The company tested new shows, including Branded, Gorq’s Quest, and Rooster Teeth’s Murder Room, and announced a new show, Spikeface, produced with Rob McElhenney’s RCG Productions. In late 2018, Rooster Teeth joined Ellation, a company under Otter Media, which also included Crunchyroll and VRV.
In 2018, Rooster Teeth partnered with animation channels CypherDen and Flashgitz, adding their content to Rooster Teeth First. In 2019, Yvonne Secretan retired as COO, and Ezra Cooperstein stepped down as president. Later that year, Rooster Teeth laid off about 50 employees, or 13% of its workforce. Jordan Levin became general manager, and several founders transitioned to creative roles.
In 2019, Doreen Copeland became VP of Production, and Joe Clary and Sean Hinz became co-heads of animation. In 2020, Joel Heyman was laid off, and Burnie Burns resigned but kept a first-look deal with Rooster Teeth. In 2020, Rooster Teeth reviewed its content library to improve diversity.
In 2021, reports said AT&T planned to sell Rooster Teeth, but no sale occurred. Instead, Rooster Teeth became part of Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022. In 2023, the company celebrated its 20th anniversary with a 20-week campaign and rebranded its logo and slogan to "Just Playing."
In 2024, Jordan Levin announced Rooster Teeth would close in the coming months, citing changes in consumer behavior and declining subscriptions. At the time, the company had fewer than a quarter of its peak subscribers and was no longer profitable.
Productions
Rooster Teeth Animation was a part of Rooster Teeth that started in 2014, with Gray Haddock as the head of the department. On December 13, 2019, it was announced that Joe Clary and Sean Hinz became co-heads of the department to replace Haddock.
Red vs. Blue is a parody of science-fiction films, games, and military life. It follows two groups of soldiers fighting a civil war in a dry and lonely canyon. Rooster Teeth originally planned the series to have only six to eight episodes. However, the series became very popular, with 20,000 downloads in one day, which helped make Rooster Teeth famous. Because of this, Burns created an extension of the story.
RWBY (pronounced "Ruby") is an anime-style computer-generated animated web series created and directed by Monty Oum and written by Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross. The first episode of RWBY was shown on July 5, 2013, at RTX 2013 and posted online on July 18, 2013. The story takes place in a world called Remnant, where humans fought against supernatural creatures called the "Creatures of Grimm." Before the events of the series, humans discovered a mysterious element called Dust, which helped them fight the Grimm. On February 1, 2015, Oum died due to an allergic reaction during a medical procedure, but the series continued. The success of RWBY led to a secondary series called RWBY Chibi, which features the main characters in a smaller, humorous style.
In July 2024, Viz Media purchased the RWBY franchise. They announced plans to continue the main web series with Kerry Shawcross, produce merchandise, and distribute the series through streaming and home video.
In July 2010, Jordan Cwierz released the first episode of Rooster Teeth Animated Adventures (RTAA), which was originally called Drunk Tank Animated Adventures. This series included animations based on stories from the Rooster Teeth Podcast. In October 2011, Cwierz was hired full-time to create animated shorts for the podcast.
On October 8, 2014, Rooster Teeth launched Let's Play Minimations, which highlights clips from Achievement Hunter's Let's Plays. The series initially used 3D animation similar to the game Minecraft and later used machinima from Grand Theft Auto V.
On April 1, 2016, Rooster Teeth announced Camp Camp with a trailer on their website and YouTube. The series premiered on June 10, 2016, as part of the Summer of Animation promotion. It follows a boy named Max, who is forced to attend summer camp and teams up with friends to prank their counselor, David. The show airs on Fridays for Rooster Teeth First members and Saturdays for site members. It was created by Jordan Cwierz and Miles Luna. The first season had 12 episodes after being extended. The first two seasons were released on DVD/Blu-ray on May 22, 2018. The third season premiered on May 25, 2018, and the fourth season was announced on May 20, 2019, with episodes premiering on June 1, 2019. On July 7, 2023, it was announced that Camp Camp would return with new episodes on March 1, 2024.
At RTX Austin 2017, Rooster Teeth Animation announced a new series called gen:LOCK, a mecha action drama created by RWBY producer Gray G. Haddock. The series was teased at New York Comic Con and RTX London. It was originally planned for late 2018 but delayed until January 2019. On May 21, 2018, it was revealed that the main character, Julian Chase, is voiced by Michael B. Jordan. Jordan co-produced the series through his company, Outlier Society Productions. The series premiered on January 26, 2019, and concluded on March 9, 2019. On October 24, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on HBO Max on November 4, 2021, and ended on December 23, 2021.
In 2004, at the E3 gaming convention, Rooster Teeth discovered that The Sims 2 could be used to create a series parodying reality television. The game's publisher, Electronic Arts, allowed them to proceed. This led to The Strangerhood, a comedy series about eight strangers who wake up in an unknown place. The first season of 17 episodes was completed on April 27, 2006. In 2005, Rooster Teeth collaborated with Paul Marino on Strangerhood Studios, a spin-off commissioned by the Independent Film Channel. This was the first machinima series to be broadcast and won an award for Best Editing at the 2005 Machinima Film Festival. The second season premiered on September 29, 2015, after a crowdfunding campaign for Lazer Team was successful.
In 2006, Rooster Teeth partnered with Maybeck Productions to create PANICS, a short series based on F.E.A.R. It follows Bravo Team, soldiers investigating a paranormal disturbance. Four episodes were released between September 27, 2005, and October 18, 2005, with a prequel included in F.E.A.R. – Director's Edition. The mini-series won an award for Best Writing at the 2005 Machinima Film Festival. Other Rooster Teeth machinima productions include 1-800-Magic, a four-episode series using Shadowrun, and Supreme Surrender, a 2008 series using Supreme Commander. On February 13, 2017, Rooster Teeth released a teaser for their animated series Sex Swing, featuring members of their Funhaus division.
At RTX 2014, a new animated show called X-Ray and Vav was announced. The show stars Ray Narvaez Jr. as X-Ray and Gavin Free as Vav. It is directed by Lindsay Jones and Jordan Cwierz, with art direction by Patrick Rodriguez. The first episode was released on November 27, 2014, and the second season premiered on July 19, 2015. Narvaez and Free reprised their roles, with new characters added. When asked if he would return for a third season, Narvaez said, "Not interested. I am happy with how Season 2 ended, plus as
Subsidiary channels
Achievement Hunter was a video gaming channel and part of Rooster Teeth. It was created in 2008 by Geoff Ramsey and Jack Pattillo during the making of season 6 of Red vs. Blue. The channel focused on the "achievement" feature found in seventh-generation video game consoles, especially the Xbox 360. At first, different employees from Rooster Teeth helped make the content. Over time, Achievement Hunter became its own division with a regular group of cast members and became an important part of Rooster Teeth. It also shared gameplay content on Rooster Teeth's LetsPlay channel. Achievement Hunter once managed GameFails and LetsPlay Community channels, but those are now archives. On September 18, 2023, it was announced that Achievement Hunter would become an archive channel, and its members would move to other projects.
The LetsPlay channel has been used mainly for Achievement Hunter's content since it started.
The LetsPlay Network was a multi-channel network run by Rooster Teeth. It was created by Geoff Ramsey, a co-founder of Rooster Teeth, and managed by Luis Medina. The network partnered with other YouTube channels, including Achievement Hunter and Funhaus, to offer benefits like merchandise and promotion.
On March 28, 2016, Rooster Teeth partnered with Kinda Funny. Members of Kinda Funny appeared in Rooster Teeth content, and their merchandise was sold on the Rooster Teeth Store. Kinda Funny also hosted an event called Kinda Funny Live! on Let's Play. A partnership with The Creatures was announced on April 4, 2016. Later, Cow Chop and Game Attack joined the Let's Play family. Game Attack was originally part of ScrewAttack before becoming independent. Both Game Attack and Cow Chop had sections on Rooster Teeth's website. On May 11, Achievement Hunter announced a partnership with Ubisoft, a video game publisher. Gameplay videos featuring Ubisoft games by Let's Play members would be posted only on Ubisoft's YouTube channel. On May 31, 2017, Let's Play added new members: JT Machinima (now JT Music), NoahJ456, LazarBeam, and Sugar Pine 7.
On July 12, 2017, The Creatures announced they would end their partnership with Rooster Teeth. In April 2019, Cow Chop said it was closing, and by December 31, 2019, it posted its final video. In May 2019, Sugar Pine 7 left Rooster Teeth. On May 1, 2019, Craig Skistimas of Game Attack also left, ending his relationship with Rooster Teeth. After these departures, content from The Creatures and Game Attack was no longer on Rooster Teeth's website, and Cow Chop and Sugar Pine 7 content was moved to the "Friends of RT" section.
Rooster Teeth still works with Kinda Funny and JT Music, but the Let's Play Network was not mentioned after these changes. A partnership with The Yogscast (a UK-based channel) included a section on Rooster Teeth's website and apps. However, the Let's Play branding and channel returned to being the gameplay channel for Achievement Hunter.
Inside Gaming was the gaming news division of Rooster Teeth. It started as The Know, a news channel covering movies, TV, gaming, technology, and media. It was hosted by Ashley Jenkins and Brian Gaar, with other Rooster Teeth staff. It began as a single show on Rooster Teeth's main YouTube channel but later moved to its own channel. Over time, it expanded into different types of news and shows, including Glitch Please, a series that followed The Patch podcast. Other shows included Leaderboard (esports news), The Patch Game Club (video game reviews), and Screen Play (film and TV podcasts). In June 2016, Meg Turney left Rooster Teeth to focus on cosplay.
In October 2017, Eric Vespe joined The Know as a senior writer. He had worked at Ain't It Cool News for 20 years. On February 14, 2019, Rooster Teeth revived Machinima's Inside Gaming brand and renamed The Know to Inside Gaming. The Inside Gaming team included Adam Kovic, James Willems, Bruce Greene, Lawrence Sonntag, Matt Peake, Sean "Spoole" Poole, Joel Rubin, Elyse Willems, and Alanah Pearce. Shows included Open Haus (Q&A), Google Trends, Dude Soup (podcast), Film Haus (podcast), Demo Disk, and Wheelhaus (gameplay series). A live stream called FunhausTV and a now-defunct animated series called Sex Swing were also produced.
In 2016, Poole and Rubin left Funhaus. Greene and Sonntag left in 2019. Kovic left in 2020 after breaking Rooster Teeth's code of conduct. Pearce left in October 2020.
Game Kids was a children's channel launched in 2014 but ended in 2016.
Funhaus was a division of Rooster Teeth based in Los Angeles, California. It started on February 16, 2015, with former Inside Gaming cast members. It produced gameplay videos similar to Achievement Hunter and also made segments for The Know until 2016.
Death Battle began in 2010 as a web series on ScrewAttack. It became ScrewAttack's most popular show, and the website shifted its focus to it. In 2019, ScrewAttack rebranded to focus only on Death Battle. The show was later acquired by Rooster Teeth, and all ScrewAttack content was moved to the Rooster Teeth website. In 2020, Amazon Prime Video sponsored a *Death
Events
Community events have taken place regularly since 2005. These included RvBTO in Toronto (the first event, now replaced with Toronto:Unconventional), RvBCanWest in Vancouver, RT Philly in Philadelphia, RooTeeth in Melbourne, and SideQuest in Austin. In February 2011, Sorola announced the date for the first RTX, the company's first official fan event. Burns stated that RTX began with early fan events in Canada.
In May 2011, Rooster Teeth held their first official community event in Austin, Texas. Originally planned for 200 people, the event received so much interest that more than 500 tickets were sold quickly online. Since RTX 2012, each event has been held in the Austin Convention Center, with attendance increasing from 5,000 in 2012 to 45,000 in 2015. In February 2017, RTX London was announced, taking place October 14–15 of that year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, RTX 2020, called "RTX at Home," was held online from September 15 to 25.
Let's Play Live is a live event produced by Rooster Teeth where Achievement Hunter and members of the Let's Play family play video games and perform comedy sketches for an audience. Their first event was held on February 20, 2015, at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas. Beginning in 2016, LPL toured multiple cities in North America. LPL returned to Austin the night before RTX 2018 began.
Podcasts
On December 9, 2008, Rooster Teeth started the Drunk Tank podcast. In 2011, it changed its name to the Rooster Teeth Podcast because the old name was not appealing to advertisers. The podcast is released every week and has won several awards, including being the most downloaded podcast on iTunes and winning the Best Gaming Podcast award at the Podcast Awards in 2013 and 2014. As of May 2023, the podcast has over 750 episodes. In the same year, the podcast changed to a format with multiple segments and new hosts.
In June 2017, Rooster Teeth launched its own podcast network called The Roost. This network includes creators such as h3h3Productions, Game Grumps, Shane Dawson, Getting Doug With High by Doug Benson, Tiny Meat Gang by Cody Ko and Noel Miller, and The Valleyfolk by Joseph Bereta, Elliott Morgan, and Steve Zaragoza, among others. In July 2018, The Roost added The Last Podcast on the Left, hosted by Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks, and Henry Zebrowski. On September 5, 2018, it was announced that The Roost would also support podcasts from The Beam, another network, as part of a partnership between Rooster Teeth and Hello Sunshine.
A.J. Feliciano became the head of The Roost in August 2020. In October 2020, The Roost began representing the podcast The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of, which focuses on prop collecting. In January 2021, Rooster Teeth and AEW partnered to create the podcast Wrestling With The Week. Anthony Padilla, along with Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart, launched podcasts with The Roost in early 2021. As of September 2021, The Roost network had over 100 shows and received 300 million impressions each month. Rooster Teeth reported that the network increased its viewership by 50% and quadrupled its revenue in 2021.
In April 2024, The Roost was purchased by Night, a talent management company that works with several popular YouTubers and Twitch streamers, including MrBeast. In an interview with Variety, A.J. Feliciano said most of The Roost staff would remain employed. The same article claimed that The Roost network had over 350 million views and 20 million monthly downloads as of April 2024. However, the article did not provide sources for these numbers.
Community and website
On October 4, 2004, after closing their phpBB forums, Rooster Teeth launched an online community and social networking website. This helped them stay connected with fans and keep their own platform for sharing content. The site had features like community statistics, journals, an image gallery, and a "mod point system" or "emodomy," which allowed members to help manage the site by liking or disliking posts. Today, the site has 5 million unique monthly visitors and more than 2 million registered users. Of these, 135,000 pay $5 per month as FIRST members.
To host their own videos, Rooster Teeth paid a co-location facility $13,000. High server costs led Rooster Teeth to start a program called "Sponsorships" in 2003 (later renamed Rooster Teeth First members). This program gave paying members early access to content, extra site features, exclusive videos, and merchandise. Sponsorships helped the company stay operational during its early years and was a major reason for its growth and the first way it made money from content.
On July 1, 2016, the ad-free "Sponsorship" program was renamed "FIRST." A new tier called Double Gold was added, offering perks like a 10% discount on all Rooster Teeth items, first access to live event VIP passes, and a box of merchandise worth more than $60.
Rooster Teeth’s founders often highlight the importance of the community in keeping the company relevant in web culture. In 2010, Burnie Burns said he could not imagine RedVsBlue or Rooster Teeth without the community site. In 2014, Gus Sorola noted that Rooster Teeth had always promoted its own community site, even before YouTube existed. Building a strong community helps create an engaged audience that enjoys the content. Burns explained in 2014 that the company’s ability to grow came from listening to and acting on feedback from the community. In 2016, Burns again said the secret to the company’s success was its community and the ongoing conversation with it. He stated that their model focuses on being a home for a core community and growing it year after year. He also said that the loyalty of the community in supporting the brand is essential. Fullscreen CEO George Strompolos, after buying Rooster Teeth, called the community "insanely powerful" and said it made the company a good match for acquisition. In 2015, Matt Hullum, a co-founder and director, said the community was essential for making Rooster Teeth’s first feature film, Lazer Team. In 2017, Burns again said the community is the foundation of Rooster Teeth and a core value they share with new employees.
Community members have become well-known both on and off the website. Notable people from the community include Gavin Free, Barbara Dunkelman, and Kent Nichols. In October 2008, community member "Jeffson" posted news about Barack Obama’s presidential campaign using billboards in the Xbox 360 version of Burnout Paradise. This story was shared by major news outlets like GamePolitics, MTV, and Wired. In 2010, Achievement Hunter members "AxialMatt" and "Hightower" gained attention for their video Japan World Cup 3. For Red vs. Blue: Revelation, Rooster Teeth used 10 community members to help unlock Halo 3 armor suits for machinima production. In February 2011, Burnie Burns tweeted that community member "madmanmoe" discovered the Rooster Teeth website was not blocked by the Libyan government and was sharing news from Tripoli during the First Libyan Civil War. The longest-running external resource site, RoosterTooths, has existed since 2005 and includes transcripts, biographies, and a history of the Red vs. Blue title screen.
Community members have been involved in Rooster Teeth productions at every RTX event. In 2011, about 400 community members were used as zombie extras for a Horde Mode episode of Immersion. In 2012, 1,800 attendees helped create a scene in the RT production Day 5, which involved shutting down a road in downtown Austin. In 2013, hundreds of fans participated in a water-bomb attack for an episode of The Slow Mo Guys. In 2014, RTX attendees auditioned for minor speaking roles in Lazer Team. In 2015, attendees took part in an interactive experience called Murder at The RTX, which involved solving clues at prepared "crime scenes." In June 2016, Rooster Teeth confirmed they would film audience members at an RTX panel for use in their production Crunch Time.
Many employees have come from the community. In 2014, Burnie Burns said at least one-third of the company’s 85 employees started in the fan community. He said this helps keep the company grounded and makes business sense. Ben McSweeney, who designed Rooster Teeth’s logo, was hired by Burns after being found on the site’s forums in 2003. Other employees include creative director Barbara Dunkelman, composers Nico Audy-Rowland and Jeff Williams of Trocadero, cartoonist Luke McKay, Achievement Hunters Caleb Denecour and Ray Narvaez Jr., Rooster Teeth Animated Adventures creator Jordan Cwierz, and RWBY writer and director Kerry Shawcross. In August 2014, former intern and current content producer Blaine Gibson gained media attention for posting photos of his proposal to Disney Princesses at Walt Disney World. In July 2014, it was announced at RTX that fan Jordan Scott would create the RWBY video game after sharing a demo on YouTube. During the 2014 Achievement Hunter panel, community members Matthew "AxialMatt" Bragg and Jeremy "Jerem6401" Dooley were hired as new employees.
Controversies
In February 2019, Rooster Teeth stated that they had ended all connections with voice actor Vic Mignogna and removed him from the RWBY cast. There were multiple accusations of improper behavior, but no legal charges were filed against him, and Mignogna denied any criminal actions. Mignogna filed lawsuits claiming the accusations were false, but he lost his appeals and was required to pay legal fees. The court decisions only determined if the statements were false and harmful.
In October 2020, Achievement Hunter’s Ryan Haywood and Funhaus co-founder Adam Kovic were both involved in scandals related to leaked personal images. Kovic left the company. Soon after, multiple accusations of inappropriate behavior toward underage fans were made against Haywood, leading to his termination.
In June 2019, many anonymous reviews from Glassdoor were shared, describing a negative work environment at Rooster Teeth Animation. These reviews mentioned long, unpaid hours, poor management, and heavy reliance on temporary workers. Two days later, Gray Haddock, Rooster Teeth’s Head of Animation, resigned.
In October 2022, Kdin Jenzen, a former Achievement Hunter employee, shared online details about her time at the company. She claimed the company still had a work culture involving long hours without fair pay, and she faced homophobic and transphobic abuse from upper management. Her nickname at the company was a slur. Shortly after, Achievement Hunter cast members, including Rooster Teeth co-founder Geoff Ramsey, apologized for past behavior and announced plans to reduce the release schedule. The next day, Rooster Teeth issued a statement saying they were working to improve their workplace culture and reviewing pay fairness. After Jenzen’s message, other former employees shared similar experiences about unpaid work and discrimination at Rooster Teeth. Rooster Teeth released a second statement apologizing and listed changes made since 2020, such as introducing pay guidelines and replacing the Human Resources department.
On November 20, 2019, Michael Quinn, Rooster Teeth’s Vice President of Product Research and Engineering, was arrested for physically harming his wife. Quinn was fired three days later.