It's game over for Team Bondi, the Australian development studio that helped create LA Noire for Rockstar Games. According to papers filed with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission, Team Bondi will close its doors and its assets will be sold off to pay creditors. Liquidators have been appointed at the company to sell off assets and pay off the company's debts, documents show.
Team Bondi spent seven years developing the game for Rockstar, and by most accounts the gritty film noir action adventure game did pretty well. But the company's problems seemed to be from a lack of management and what some former Team Bondi developers described as a hostile and oppressive work environment where management was constantly forcing employees to stay at work for long periods of time. Most of the complaints were directed at studio head Brendan McNamara, who they accused of poor management and bullying.
After all the bad PR Rockstar washed its hands of the studio. Months later McNamara jumped ship with several Team Bondi employees to Happy Feet 2 studio KMM. Staff were reportedly offered a choice between a job at the new firm or severance terms.
Source: GI.biz
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Comments
Re: Team Bondi to Close
It's a shame that poor management that created a hostile working environment has led to a bunch of people losing their jobs. It just goes to show that people work better with help and encouragement than they ever will with threats, overwork and abuse. This is what management never seems to understand: people want to make a good product, and a good manager encourages them to do their best, rather than demanding it.
Re: Team Bondi to Close
Rockstar gets to keep the rights to L.A. Noire though don't they? I really like that game and I hope they make a sequel or maybe an expansion pack or something like they did with GTA:IV and RDR.
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