YouTube network Fullscreen to acquire Rooster Teeth

BY SAM GUTELLE

In a massive development that will shake up the online video landscape, Fullscreen–a top multi-channel network that manages content on YouTube and other online video platforms–has agreed to acquire Rooster Teeth, a creative studio best known for its gaming-related content.

Fullscreen announced the acquisition with a press release, in which Fullscreen CEO George Strompolos called Rooster Teeth “a perfect match for Fullscreen.”

Rooster Teeth first came to prominence through Red Vs. Blue, a web series set in the world of Halo that recently concluded its 12th season. While that series put Rooster Teeth on the map, it has since branched out its offerings. It now runs hugely popular channels like Let’s Play, and its library of web series includes RWBY, The Gauntlet, and The Know. Rooster Teeth’s network now sprawls well beyond video, too. It has its own podcast, an upcoming video game based on RWBY, and Lazer Team, a feature film funded by a record-breaking Indiegogo campaign.

For years, Rooster Teeth has operated independently out of its home base in Austin, where it is led by CEO Matt Hullum and creative director Burnie Burns. The sale to Los Angeles-based Fullscreen will not result in any big personnel changes; Hullum and Burns will continue to headquarter Rooster Teeth in the Texas capital.

As a subsidiary of Fullscreen, Rooster Teeth will be integrated into the network’s infrastructure. This will likely make it a key part of Otter Media, the joint venture launched by AT&T and The Chernin Group, which recently acquired a majority stake in Fullscreen. Rooster Teeth is not the only gaming network under that banner; earlier this year, Fullscreen acquired ScrewAttack, another online network related to gaming.

Fullscreen will help support several Rooster Teeth initiatives, including its retail division (which recently extended to a pop-in store in Austin) and its live events (such as RTX, the yearly convention that attracted more than 30,00 attendees in 2014). “At Rooster Teeth, we have a long history of creating the best digital content in the industry,” said Burns in a release. “With Fullscreen, we look forward to continuing that tradition in even bigger and better ways. Matt and I are excited about the opportunities this alliance will present for our creators and all the amazing content it will empower them to produce for our audience.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Remix by Fernando Alfonso III