Documents filed today through the Australian Securities And Investments Commission reveal that L.A. Noire developer Team Bondi is in the process of closing down fully.
Now a notification of the appointment of a liquidator has been filed, along with the resignation of the Team Bondi administration. Another document, titled "Special Resolution to Wind Up Company," was also filed.
Although LA Noire received critical acclaim when it was released in May, the development studio behind the game has been shrouded in controversy ever since.
Team Bondi studio head Brendan McNamara also found himself under fire following the release of L.A. Noire, with anonymous ex-staffers accusing him of "mismanagement," an allegation that he denied.
I wonder what McNamara and his gang will be up to now... Hopefully no publisher will ever give him any money again, and the world will have one less sweatshop. Wish well to those left unemployed though, hope they can find a studio that won't mismanage, lie, deceive, trick and burn them out year in year out.
I'm not really worried about the staff, they're talented smart people, they'll find a job. The danger of the sweat shops is real though, hope they research their new workplaces thoroughly and manage to avoid such places.
"'It's my game," McNamara told IGN in response. 'I can go to anyone I want in the team and say, 'I want it changed.'
'I've been doing it for a long time, and it seems to have worked out so far for me,' he continued, saying that Rockstar's Sam Houser has a similar management style."
I haven't played LA Noire yet, but all this hate seems terrible.
Shady practices aside, these guys actually put out a GTA4-quality game, which is something not a lot of studios can do (though lots have tried, both big and small).
Seeing such a pool of talent disband due to bad management is sad.
I borrowed it from my cousin, "played" it for 15 minutes and then returned it.
One week later I took a look at what Zero Punctuation had to say about it. Everything is exactly what it said, but not as fun as ZP always make games sound.
I am really sorry this studio is closing. Controversy aside, I do think the game is great. I am surprised to see many reports of disappointment with the game, but I guess if people expected a GTA clone set in the 40's, that may have caused some disappointment indeed. I have never been a fan of the GTA concept and I love LA Noire. I agree there are some mechanics that repeat themselves at times, but all I can say is LA Noire is an atmospheric experience that appealed to me beyond its gameplay. I had fun simply driving around in some of the 95 classic cars available. Besides, it's the first time I played a game with that level of realism in character animation. I felt like the first time I played Mass Effect, which was quite a leap forward in this aspect at the time. There are flaws for sure, but I know I will keep a good memory of the overall experience, the same way I keep a good overall memory of Silent Hill 4: The Room, in spite of its many flaws.
'I've been doing it for a long time, and it seems to have worked out so far for me,' he continued, saying that Rockstar's Sam Houser has a similar management style."
Shady practices aside, these guys actually put out a GTA4-quality game, which is something not a lot of studios can do (though lots have tried, both big and small).
Seeing such a pool of talent disband due to bad management is sad.
One week later I took a look at what Zero Punctuation had to say about it. Everything is exactly what it said, but not as fun as ZP always make games sound.