In a surprising turn of events, Rooster Teeth, the pioneering digital media company known for its groundbreaking series Red vs. Blue and RWBY, is set to make a comeback under the leadership of its original founder, Burnie Burns. This revival comes nearly a year after the company announced its closure in March 2024.
Reacquired by Burnie Burns
Burns, through his company Box Canyon Productions, has reacquired the Rooster Teeth brand and plans to relaunch several of its classic shows in 2025. Burns expressed his enthusiasm for the revival, stating, “I am excited at the challenge of bringing Rooster Teeth back to its roots. The heart of this brand has always been its fans, and I look forward to writing a new chapter together.” He emphasized that his vision for Rooster Teeth will “focus on innovation, community engagement, and the spirit of creativity that first defined its success,” as reported by Polygon.
The revival will focus on community engagement, creativity, and innovation—principles that were central to Rooster Teeth’s initial success. However, it’s important to note that this resurgence will not include certain spinoff series such as Funhaus and Achievement Hunter, nor the RWBY intellectual property, which is now owned by Viz Media.
Reboot Plans
On the Feb. 5 episode of the podcast Morning Somewhere, Burnie Burns shared that the plan is to reboot some of Rooster Teeth’s “classic shows,” with announcements expected in the coming months. “The long-range plan here is to have a production slate that is up and running with new shows by summer of 2025,” he said, adding, “If you liked [post-apocalyptic drama series] ‘Day 5’ from Rooster Teeth, it’s very much in that vein.”
“There is a lot of work in front of us, a lot of work,” Burnie Burns remarked. “As I’m sitting here in this living room I am surrounded by hard drives with literally two decades of content… and I’m going through an archive process with it right now that’s just to get basically to the starting line and then after that the real work begins.”
Currently, the rejuvenated Rooster Teeth operates with a lean team of just two employees. Burns has requested that fans refrain from contacting the company’s other founders regarding potential involvement, assuring that more information will be shared through the Morning Somewhere podcast.
Founded in 2003, Rooster Teeth gained prominence with Red vs. Blue, a machinima series that utilized the Halo: Combat Evolved game engine to craft a comedic narrative about two groups of soldiers in a desolate canyon. The series became a cultural phenomenon, leading to expansions into other content areas, including the anime-style web series RWBY.
Rooster Teeth was first acquired by AT&T in 2021, later becoming part of Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022. The company ultimately shut down in March 2024, resulting in the layoffs of 133 employees, both in-person and remote. At the time, General Manager Jordan Levin attributed the closure to “challenges facing digital media resulting from fundamental shifts in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising, and patronage” in a message to staff, as reported by KXAN.
The announcement of Rooster Teeth’s revival has been met with enthusiasm from its dedicated fanbase, who are eager to see how the company will navigate this new chapter. As the digital media landscape continues to evolve, Rooster Teeth’s return serves as a testament to the enduring appeal of its content and the strength of its community.
Further details about the relaunch and upcoming projects are anticipated to be shared in the coming months, as Burns and his team work to reestablish Rooster Teeth as a leader in innovative digital content.
