Report: LA Noire dev Team Bondi enters administration
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You don't normally expect a company to release a well-reviewed hit in May and then enter administration three months later, but L.A. Noire maker Team Bondi is following a strange, tumultuous timeline. SmartCompany reports that the Sydney-based studio has been placed into administration, with accounting firm de Vries Tayeh handling the ongoing process.
A company in turmoil can be placed into administration to help facilitate payments to creditors, possibly through sale of assets or parts of the company. It's not known how exactly administration will proceed with Team Bondi, but earlier reports suggested that company assets were acquired by Kennedy Miller Mitchell (KMM), an Australian production company thought to be working on a Mad Max game. Staff at Team Bondi were reportedly offered jobs at KMM if they did not take severance pay.
If you're looking for further developments regarding the L.A. Noire franchise, it will be have to be at Rockstar -- the publisher owns the rights to what is likely to be the last game from Team Bondi as we knew it.
A company in turmoil can be placed into administration to help facilitate payments to creditors, possibly through sale of assets or parts of the company. It's not known how exactly administration will proceed with Team Bondi, but earlier reports suggested that company assets were acquired by Kennedy Miller Mitchell (KMM), an Australian production company thought to be working on a Mad Max game. Staff at Team Bondi were reportedly offered jobs at KMM if they did not take severance pay.
If you're looking for further developments regarding the L.A. Noire franchise, it will be have to be at Rockstar -- the publisher owns the rights to what is likely to be the last game from Team Bondi as we knew it.
Reader Comments (43)
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 4:32AM Nolan North said
Truth
Doubt
Lie
Doubt
Lie
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 4:42AM type2red said
Wow I guess L.A. Noire will be one of a kind then.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 4:49AM Kyle4 said
Wow, that's unfortunate. Brendan McNamara and the whole crew at Team Bondi delivered a stellar game. I hope that Brendan returns to write and direct if Rockstar makes a sequel.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 5:14AM Excessive said
Considering how they treated their employees, this is karma biting them in the ass. I hope the remaining devs form their own studio in it's place and learn from their predecessor's mistakes.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 1:09PM kentuckyfried said
@eat it
If there's anything that characterizes this gen, it's the gen of the cheap a$$hole.
Reply
If there's anything that characterizes this gen, it's the gen of the cheap a$$hole.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 5:20AM Pure Black World Tendency said
Some of that amazingface™ tech could have made the new Deus Ex even more awesome.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 5:28AM iAlejandro said
Alas, the prospect of a sequel to this beautiful game is all but a distant hope now.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 7:10AM FinalFantasyXIIIsucks said
@iAlejandro I wouldn't completely write off the idea of a sequel. Remember way back in the day, Capcom was developing a little title by the name of Red Dead Revolver, but they decided for whatever reason to drop it. Rockstar, afterwards, came in, bought the title up, finished the development of the game, and then published it. As you know, they also made the sequel to that game called Red Dead Redemption.
If Team Bondi does get liquidated, I wouldn't put it past Rockstar to do what they did with the Red Dead franchise. They could just buy up the rights to LA Noire and make as many sequels as they see fit.
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If Team Bondi does get liquidated, I wouldn't put it past Rockstar to do what they did with the Red Dead franchise. They could just buy up the rights to LA Noire and make as many sequels as they see fit.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 9:17AM FinalFantasyXIIIsucks said
@Mcmax3000 Oh snap! I did overlook that! Derp on my part.
Reply
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 11:55AM (Unverified) said
@FinalFantasyXIIIsucks
Actually the other article says,
"Subsequent reports indicated that Rockstar would not be publishing Team Bondi’s next title, and that the Sydney studio was looking for a new publisher."
Not exactly what that means. But looks bad for the next installment.
Reply
Actually the other article says,
"Subsequent reports indicated that Rockstar would not be publishing Team Bondi’s next title, and that the Sydney studio was looking for a new publisher."
Not exactly what that means. But looks bad for the next installment.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 5:43AM Blizzard said
I think they were just way too ambitious with this game. You can't moan that you couldn't fit everything on a single Blu-Ray when the game took seven years to develop with staff getting treated like crap.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 11:26AM BeatFreaker said
@Blizzard
They could fit it on Bluray, that was a lie to try and justify the post launch DLC.
Many PS3 games exceed 25 GB's because of dual layer. With the information in this article it only justifies the fact that they were trying to recoup losses and cut corners.
Reply
They could fit it on Bluray, that was a lie to try and justify the post launch DLC.
Many PS3 games exceed 25 GB's because of dual layer. With the information in this article it only justifies the fact that they were trying to recoup losses and cut corners.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 1:11PM kentuckyfried said
@BeatFreaker
According to one unsavory person I met, typical ps3 titles are only about 9 gb's and can play directly off an external hd now thanks to geohotz... -_-
Reply
According to one unsavory person I met, typical ps3 titles are only about 9 gb's and can play directly off an external hd now thanks to geohotz... -_-
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 5:54AM The Cole Train said
Bad things happen when you don't play nice kiddos
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 6:21AM GamerMELoNs said
Doubt
*fingers crossed* Come ooooon Doubt! Dammit!
0/1 Questions Correct.
*fingers crossed* Come ooooon Doubt! Dammit!
0/1 Questions Correct.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 11:06AM MAINEiac4434 said
There was supposed to be one coming out in Q4. With this happening, I dunno what will happen to it.
Reply
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 8:01AM themisanthrope said
*tilts head and frantically looks toward the ceiling. Looks back and smiles*
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 8:45AM The Tim said
Guess we shouldn't be expecting any more cases to come down the pipeline, huh?
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 9:02AM Spunky Monkey 190906 said
Sony! Here's your chance to obtain another first party, I'd rather that then bankruptcy :( At least their games would still exist.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 9:06AM sammo21 said
Was amazed at the backlash to this game on a similar post on Kotaku. Tons of people seemingly hate this game now. I still enjoy it.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 11:11AM MAINEiac4434 said
@sammo21 I don't think we hate the game. I think we hate the developer.
Reply
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 11:09AM MAINEiac4434 said
Besides that, you're right. I'd love to see Rockstar come out with more games in this franchise, exploring new eras and locales.
Reply
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 9:40AM Ospov said
I still haven't got past the 3rd or 4th case...It's fun, but I just haven't really gotten into it yet.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 10:56AM Special Agent Steve said
@Ospov
Eh, don't worry about it: they're exactly like the first and second case.
Reply
Eh, don't worry about it: they're exactly like the first and second case.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 1:13PM kentuckyfried said
@Special Agent Steve
Great. Thanks for the encouragement. =P
That said I like the 1st and 2nd, just not sure how many times I'd like repeating that.
Reply
Great. Thanks for the encouragement. =P
That said I like the 1st and 2nd, just not sure how many times I'd like repeating that.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 1:14PM kentuckyfried said
@Special Agent Steve
Great. Thanks for the encouragement, lol
That said I like the 1st and 2nd, just not sure how many times I'd like repeating that.
Reply
Great. Thanks for the encouragement, lol
That said I like the 1st and 2nd, just not sure how many times I'd like repeating that.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 1:14PM kentuckyfried said
@Special Agent Steve
sorry about the double reply. joystiq's commenting system can be wack sometimes.
Reply
sorry about the double reply. joystiq's commenting system can be wack sometimes.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 11:30AM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said
Hard to wrap my head around this. Who would've thought that a developer who made one of the best, creative and technical games of the last 10 years would essentially be one & done. Crazy.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 1:12PM kentuckyfried said
@Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell
They must've gone way over-budget.
Reply
They must've gone way over-budget.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 12:22PM Milf Biggenson said
Bought it. Enjoyed it for awhile and then got so bored with it, I couldn't believe it. Haven't went back to it in months. Definitely not the same caliber as Red Dead Redemption.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 1:38PM Milf Biggenson said
@Jay Z Hey, thanks for pointing that out Jay Z! After playing both games, I was totally unaware that they were completely different. The word that you might not have understood in my post was "caliber" which if you did, would have completely altered the message. That's why other people didn't post something as inane as you did; they UNDERSTOOD what I was saying. To clear it up, I said "LA Noire was not the same CALIBER as RDR" means that overall in my op it wasn't of the same quality, therefore didn't hold my attention. Had it been the same caliber, I would have played it through to completion like I do with games worthy of my time. Glad I could clear that up.
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Posted: Sep 1st 2011 2:16PM ShadowXIII said
@Jay Z
I thought you were...and I'll *still* tell this to your face.
You are butt ugly....period...the only reason she's sticking around is that bank roll. You look like a foot.
*Please believe* there is another man...sorry to say.
Reply
I thought you were...and I'll *still* tell this to your face.
You are butt ugly....period...the only reason she's sticking around is that bank roll. You look like a foot.
*Please believe* there is another man...sorry to say.
Posted: Sep 1st 2011 9:16PM YouAintFatYouAintNotin said
One and Done, nuff said.








