L.A. Noire dev Team Bondi closing down
L.A. Noire creator Team Bondi is shutting down after a month of administration, according to business documents filed with the Australian government today.
Troubled Australian developer Team Bondi entered administration at the end of August in a bid to stay open, but new documents filed with the Aussie government show the creator of L.A. Noire couldn't be saved, and is now shutting down.
Team Bondi has filed a 'notice of special resolution to wind up company,' which is used to close a business, with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (via Gamasutra).
Team Bondi's had a rough time after launching L.A. Noire in May, though the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game received a healthy critical and commercial reception. It faced investigation from the International Game Developers Association over working conditions complaints, and reportedly having a huge falling-out with L.A. Noire publisher and property owner Rockstar.
Other documents filed show that the administrator is gone, and a liquidator is in, who'll sell off assets and pay up creditors. It was reported in August that Team Bondi had already sold intellectual property and assets to multimedia studio Kennedy Miller Mitchell, but whatever remained will surely go now.
Rockstar is currently working on the PC edition of L.A. Noire at its Leeds studio. It's on track to launch on November 8.
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replyAlice O'Connor posted a new article, L.A. Noire dev Team Bondi closing down.
L.A. Noire creator Team Bondi is shutting down after a month of administration, according to business documents filed with the Australian government today.-
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It was but they burned too many bridges with Rockstar and Take Two.
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PC version is being handled by Rockstar, not Team Bondi.
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They burned too many *people*, too. See leaked emails at http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-05-la-noire-the-team-bondi-emails-article for gems like:
"The first is a longer working day, standard hours will be 9am to 7pm. This will include Fridays and beers on Friday will be available but not until 7pm. The first day of longer working hours will be Thursday 6th August. [...] As we get closer to the finish line we will need to work Saturdays, and then Sundays as well. The first two Saturdays that we require you to work are this Saturday (8th August - 10am to 5pm) and next Saturday (15th August - 10am - 5pm)."
That was sent in Fall 2009. The game didn't ship until Spring 2011. So, that's 18 months of weekends and 12 hour days, on a game that had already been in development for FIVE YEARS.
Once that got out, nobody with any brains would ever willingly apply to work at Team Bondi. They were finished as a company the instant Brendan McNamara set that policy in 2009. -
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They were difficult to work with, took 5 years to finish the game, In the end Rockstar had to pull employees off other projects to help get LA Noire out the door. Rockstar decided to never work with them again because of that.
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I don't think it had to do with the bridges being burned. IT was purely financial at this point right? I mean it was bleeding money due to its excessively long dev time? right?
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Not surprised.... When you burn a bridge with RockStar, everyone knows they PROBABLY would of considered Team Bondi a rockstar Aus in the future is the dumbest thing they could of ever done. I have no sympathy for them it sounds like one (or more) guy screwed this up for the company, money always screws people up in the head and they do stupid things.. I loved the game but damn too much drama with that company so Rock Star should just move on from them...
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