LA Noire developer Team Bondi shutting down

by Alexander Sliwinski on Oct 5th 2011 10:00AM

Team Bondi, developer of Rockstar hit LA Noire, is kaput. Edge reports that documents were filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, indicating that the studio would close. The studio entered administration in late August, with its assets reportedly sold to Australian production company Kennedy Miller Mitchell.

Although LA Noire was an unquestionable hit for publisher Rockstar, becoming the "fastest-selling new video game IP ever in the UK," the game was on a separate narrative track from the internal drama going on at Team Bondi. Seven years of development took its toll on the staff and company.

In time, the truth will shake out about what went wrong at Team Bondi, in a year that should have established the studio as a force ending with its demise. For those who only care about the future of LA Noire ... don't you worry, IP holder Take-Two Interactive (parent company of Rockstar) isn't about to let a new series -- that shipped 4 million copies -- just disappear.

Source: Edge

Tags: LA-Noire, microsoft, pc, playstation, ps3, Rockstar-Games, Take-Two, Take-Two-Interactive, Team-Bondi, xbox

Reader Comments (53)

Can't imagine LA Noire 2 will sell anywhere near that amount.

@Dick Socrates there were some great ideas and tech there. I'd like to at least see it refined and polished. There's a bevy of stories you could do in any manner you chose w/those mechanics in place.

I bought L.A. Noire, but I will say it didn't hold a special place in my mind or heart. If they do continue they need to focus on what makes it good and get rid of all the terrible...like do I really have to kill everyone who pulls a gun on me? I didn't think the game was L.A. Noire: Population Control

@Dick Socrates
I don't think they get a better character than Cole. I think he was what made LA Noire so engaging.

@Blessrock
"do I really have to kill everyone who pulls a gun on me?"

It was the 1940's.... So yes! Yes you do.

@Rubbishy Me

Really? I liked him at the start and then before the middle of the 2nd disc, I didn't really like him. I thought he was smelling his own piss as my granddaddy used to say.

I liked the premise of the game but I kept saying to myself that I'd like the same concept, improved upon, but with a 90s or early 2000s, NY Undercover or L&O: SVU type of feel to it.

@Rubbishy Me
are you kidding? Cole wasnt even an interesting character. John Marston, was an interesting character that was very complex. when john died at the end of Red Dead, it was actually a moment for me. but when cole died, i didnt felt anything. he was monotone and faceless.

@The Soft Machine

Don't spoil plots, please. You can make your point without ruining key moments for others.

(I don't care if it's about Half Life 2 ... gamers play at all different paces, and we all have backlogs.)

Ouch.

@CaptainProtonX

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX7wtNOkuHo

Oh wow!

Well, I hope some of that great talent in creating this game does not go to waste. I am looking forward to a sequel to this type of game but in the hands of a new developer, things could go from good to bad. However with Rockstar, I am sure they will handle the series well. I

Suppose Rockstar were to hire most of the guys at Team Bondi and make L.A. Noire 2?

This was inevitable, but hope all the talented people behind the game move on to doing something great in their careers. Brendan Mcnamara can go far far away from the game industry.

This game could have been great if it had decent leadership. The scope could have been tightened up and let the lead character evolve through sequels instead of throwing everything into 1 game. Dumb.

I thought they already shut down?

Or was that just, like, massive layoffs?

Coming up next, Rockstar or Ex Team Bondi CEO opens "Studio Combi" with the same core staff, minus the bad reputation and lawsuits from the slav..employees.

Okay, okay, okay...

WHAT THE SHIT.

Ouch. too bad Team Bondi head sounded like a dick :/

Shiiit. I hope this doesn't ruin the chances of a sequel. As much as I enjoyed LA Noire, it had it's share of problems that I would love to see mended in a sequel.

Case Closed for Team Bondi.

I LOVED LA Noire and Cole definitely gave the game its style. Tough one to "top."

Man this current gen is nuts, make a poor selling game = studio closed, but make a good selling game = ?studio closed/reform to make iphone games?

@yomachaser

Or layoff the entire staff that made the game after the sales roll in and about or tell everyone a hoax that a title that nearly everyone wants is coming out just for them to cancel it or worse later.

Still though...you couldn't have said this better.

You picked an excellent screen shot for this post. Kudos, Alex.

What? But I thought game studios only closed because of the used game market? Surely it's the used game market's fault?

@Hoops

Can't be, the PC version's not even out yet.

Can't say I'm too surprised, or too upset. L.A. Noire felt awkward and out of place to me, and frankly, I don't think it was a game that needed to be made. But, still, sucks that people have to lose their jobs. I'm sure they'll find news one, though.

I still need to finish LA Noire...I've only done a couple missions so far. It just never really drew me in, but I might as well finish it since I bought it.

@Ospov It's a good game with a few flaws. And if people are achievement/trophy whores, this is an easy game to get 100% on.

"The truth will shake out..."

I never knew it was all that hidden? People like Brendan Mcnamara are a blight on the industry. He's what happened.

I bought LA Noire because everyone said it was awesome.

I seriously do not like the game. Shoot me.

@Enosoma

I'd feel obligated to do a slow-mo jump in front of you while shouting "Noooooo!" because I felt the same way. Clearly an opinion in the minority, mind you.

@Enosoma

Sometimes people just love something because it's different. The game had flaws... like, a lot of them. But I loved it. Still, I could see why many in the general populace would hate it, and I'm sure there's a number of people who just say they like it to be trendy.

Me, well... I'll take any conversation based game with good characters and lots of atmosphere over (most) shooters any day. This game even lets you skip the action sequences!

The only way an LA Noire 2 can be better than the first is if Jon Hamm is the main character.

I have a T-shirt that says ""I bought L.A. Noire and all I got was this lousy game."

Bought the game, liked it for about 6 hours and then was hit with a boredom that shook me to my core. Haven't looked at it in months. Can't imagine LA Noire 2 selling well unless they revamp it completely.

I don't think the sequel will be "LA Noire 2", I think they will opt to make the series the "Noire" series rather than LA Noire. Setting the sequel in another city with an unrelated story, but the same world, like the GTAs.

I mean LA Noire was such a tight story, beginning middle and end, you can't really have a sequel to that. You can however tell a new story.

@Donau

That's a good idea. It could still be LA even, just give it a sub title. Maybe make it a prequel about your partners even, set during the war. But adding a 2 to the end might be a bad idea.

that picture is really fitting :)

I liked the game, but I know a few things I would like to see in a sequel.

I know they were trying to tell a story, but it would have been nice if your performance affected how the game played out. If they had a Wing Commander style progression system, that might be interesting. Have at least 2 endings, 1 where you heroism brings down the corrupt bad guys, and the other where your incompetence lets them get away. Maybe even a third option where you go corrupt.

Maybe different paths of investigation. Not to give out spoilers, but when I was a homicide cop, I could have saved some lives if I could have investigated differently. It's a fairly linear game, loosen it up a bit. If you don't find certain evidence, you can't go down a certain path, but other evidence might bring you to the same person in a slightly different way. Or blow it altogether. Maybe force you to get a warrant.

Like I said earlier, I know they were trying to tell a story, but doing so really takes any consequences out of your hands. I really expected the stuff you did to matter.

Well that sucks but the only reason why i didn't buy the game was because i couldn't kill people. C'mon man its a open world game. I can steal cars but not kill civilians?

@Resident Evil 6 Puppy Madness

You commandeer cars, sir. It's like forceful borrowing.

Come on, nothin' wrong with being a good guy for a change!

@Resident Evil 6 Puppy Madness IMO thats where they went wrong.It should never have been open world in the first place,for me the best bits where the interogations and crime scenes.

The studio maybe gone, but the people that forms the studio are still there. As long as they end up somewhere where they can effectively use their talents, then I, as a gamer will be satisified

You reap what you sew Brendan

its "kaputt" and not "kaput" dude

the password recovery system on this site is a pain in the ass... gesus man fix the sh*t

btw: yea. game is boring but im sry for the devs ;(

I say we bust in there and get the goddamn evidence

YOU MONSTER!
I STILL HAVEN'T FINISHED RED DEAD YET!
SCREW YOU.

So sad. I mean I hate to sound mean but if they would have kept their mouths shut they would be pretty stable right now

@Prboi

Er... no. I don't think it has much to do with the "leaks"... I think it has a lot more to do with the long ass dev cycle and two separate publishers having a horrible time working with them. Oh, and the usual horrible money management. Even selling 4 million copies couldn't have covered 5 years of 300+ people working on a game.

These companies still think that they can make movie-sized games with movie-sized budgets. What they can't understand is that they will never earn movie-sized revenue. These are video games, not movies.

@Destati
Tell that to Call of Duty

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L.A. Noire

LA Noire developer Team Bondi shutting down

Reader Comments (53)

Posted: Oct 5th 2011 10:04AM Dick Socrates said

Posted: Oct 5th 2011 10:15AM blessrok said

Posted: Oct 5th 2011 11:12AM Rubbishy Me said

Posted: Oct 5th 2011 11:42AM whylekat said

Posted: Oct 5th 2011 1:45PM JB said

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Posted: Oct 5th 2011 11:54AM Hoops said

Posted: Oct 5th 2011 12:00PM liquidsoap89 said

Posted: Oct 5th 2011 11:54AM MW49350 said

Posted: Oct 5th 2011 12:02PM Ospov said

Posted: Oct 5th 2011 12:38PM SThompson said

Posted: Oct 5th 2011 12:04PM Algemar said

Posted: Oct 5th 2011 12:10PM Enosoma said

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Posted: Oct 5th 2011 12:46PM SThompson said

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Posted: Oct 5th 2011 12:49PM Resident Evil 6 Puppy Madness said

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