Liquidators to close Team Bondi

By Robert Purchese Published 5 October, 2011

Administration at an end.

Administrators have decided to close acclaimed but beleaguered Australian developer Team Bondi, the creator of L.A. Noire.

Documents filed at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission revealed that the administrators have resigned and given way to liquidators, reported Gamasutra.

A menacing document entitled "Special Resolution to Wind Up Company" has also been filed.

Team Bondi entered administration in September.

The studio's reputation was irrevocably harmed amid allegations of unfair working practices, despite the critical success of L.A. Noire. Team Bondi's assets and most of the staff - including leader Brendan McNamara - went to KMM, a production company set-up by Mad Max maker George Miller. Rockstar retained the L.A. Noire IP.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 8 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Lexx87 #1 8 months ago

    Bondi sorted out the technicals, hopefully Rockstar can carry this over and actually include a game too.

  • NkillerROH #2 8 months ago

    It's a shame really. Make one successful game and then pay for it by going bust. I've yet to play the game, but it's sad that even if you make something successful, it's no longer a guarantee to survive (at least in gaming, nowadays).

  • ZizouFC #3 8 months ago

    No L.A. Noire 2 then? :(

  • HL706 #4 8 months ago

    @NkillerROH

    Abhorrent working conditions and practices don't deserve success.

  • Ranger_Ryu #5 8 months ago

    @ZizouFC

    Rockstar own the L.A. Noire brand so they can make more games in the series,whether they do is another story entirely.

  • mrlaurentisdead #6 8 months ago

    I would love a more competently designed LA Noire game. Deus Ex: HR took Team Bondi to school in terms of doing both interesting investigation work (one of the optional missions in Hengsha), and in terms of interesting social interaction in a game (most of the big conversational set-pieces). There are plenty of other games Rockstar could look to for inspiration if making a 'decent' LA Noire, Tex Murphy being the big'n'obvious one.

  • Ultrasoundwave #7 8 months ago

    If anyone can make an LA Noire sequel without the original developer, its Rockstar. Hopefully they will make it happen.....

  • X201 #8 8 months ago

    @ZizouFC

    Its almost a dead cert that there will be more L.A Noire. Take 2 were over the moon with the sales and have already stated that they see it as a very strong franchise for the future.

  • arcam #9 8 months ago

    I always imagine liquidators literally turning employees into liquid nourishment for other more successful companies to feast on.

  • Totoriko #10 8 months ago

    That's what happens when douche bags like McNamara run a business. He was a jerk to both his staff and the publisher. I certainly wouldn't apply to work for him and I'm sure many others in the industry think the same.
    It's just sad for all the other good people who worked their asses off.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #11 8 months ago

    I just hope the guys there will find a new job as quickly as possible. L.A. Noire was flawed but a really good game and from what I have read about the working conditions there they really deserve a break and not continue to suffer because of bad management even now that the game is released.
    Edited by Der_tolle_Emil at 05/10/11 @ 16:01

  • nimzy #12 8 months ago

    Meanwhile at KMM, everyone cries in horror as Brendan McNamara is sighted stalking the halls.

  • Retro_ #13 8 months ago

    I played LA Noire for an hour upon release. Calmly removed the Disk from the drive and put it away with the view that it was fine just a little bit dull.

  • jaguarwong #14 8 months ago

    I joked before L.A.Noire released that if it was bad people would blame Bondi and if it was good everyone would praise Rockstar...

    ...at least, I thought I was joking.

  • blarty #15 8 months ago

    How in the hell did Brendan McNamara manage to keep his job never mind transfer to another company? The man's an egregious bell-end by all accounts....

    And I bet all those payments for overtime to the people that did manage to stay til the end, haven't been paid on account of the PC version just being released....

  • Kami #16 8 months ago

    "The man's an egregious bell-end by all accounts...."

    That's a little unfair. Even egregious bell-ends don't deserve that comparison.

    But I hope at least now all those unhappy people will find excellent. comfortable and rewarding jobs elsewhere. And that they will make a better LA Noire sequel. Hey, we can but hope, right?

  • Doctor_What #17 8 months ago

    Someone employed McNamara again? FFS, I wish this industry would stop rewarding wankers with continued employment.

  • Toothball #18 8 months ago

    @EddieMink

    I wouldn't go that far, although I did stop playing it when it became apparent that the game was going to move on whether I solved the cases or not. After that it seemed a bit of a waste of time.

  • dagas #19 8 months ago

    I guess if they lost their workers and the IP and all they had left was a bad rep, then it wasn't much they could do but close down.

  • Markusdragon #20 8 months ago

    When AAA games get stuck in development hell, you either need seriously good management or pots and pots of money, and sadly Bondi lacked either.

  • arty #21 8 months ago

    It won't be any better with Rockstar, remember this... http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RockstarS...

  • Neil__ #22 8 months ago

    "Brendan McNamara - went to KMM, a production company set-up by Mad Max maker George Miller."

    Mel Gibson was in Mad Max so Miller is used to employing total asshole bullies.

  • digitalash #23 8 months ago

    @NkillerROH

    You only go bust if your successful game takes seven years and tens (hundreds??) of millions of dollars to make, and then your publisher has to swoop in to actually get the game out of the door. McNamara (why is this man still employed?) demonstrated he is absolutely incompetent when it comes to running a company, and all he's good for doing is exploiting other people's talent to create his grand schemes. In fairness, the LA Noire script was pretty good, but one wonders how much of that was him.

    LA Noire's success is merely a big victory for Rockstar's marketing and polishing commandos. If only McNamara had remembered to put some more game in it from the start (and no, I don't mean more shooting and driving) LA Noire would be even better and there wouldn't be the backlash. Hopefully Rockstar's sequel will actually put some consequences and depth into the investigation mechanics. mrlaurent is right, only about 5% of Deus Ex HRs gameplay was conversation puzzles but they trumped Bondi with a fraction of the time and cash in the gameplay stakes.

    Here's hoping all the long-suffering talented people at Bondi get poached by Rockstar to make San Francisco Noire or whatever.

  • evarofzentral #24 8 months ago

    I've heard from a reliable source that Rockstar Leeds will be making the next L.A. Noire.

  • dr_faulk #25 8 months ago

    Rockstar should sell that lip-sync IP to the movie industry.... neat packet.