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Rockstar is unlikely to publish the next Team Bondi game, according sources close to the developer. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, two former Team Bondi employees – one a gameplay programmer and the other a game designer – claimed relations between Rockstar and the developer were "badly damaged" over the course of the L.A. Noire's development, to the extent it's unlikely they'll work together again.
"It's pretty well reported now that the working conditions were bad [but] what hasn't been discussed yet (from what I've seen) is the relationship between Team Bondi and Rockstar", said one source. "I've heard a lot about Rockstar's disdain for Team Bondi, and it has been made quite clear that they will not publish Team Bondi's next game.
"Team Bondi are trying to find another publisher for their next title, but the relationship with Rockstar has been badly damaged - Brendan [McNamara, Studio head of Team Bondi] treats L.A. Noire like a success due to his vision but I think Rockstar are the ones who saved the project. They continued to sink money into LA Noire, and their marketing was fantastic. Without their continued support, Team Bondi would have gone under several years ago."
The news follows an IGN report published last month in which Rockstar appeared to condone Team Bondi's long working hours and near-impossible deadlines, but the source claims that wasn't entirely the case: "Rockstar also made a huge contribution to the development; their producers were increasingly influential over the last two years of the game's development, and overruled many of the insane decisions made by Team Bondi management. At a lower level, Rockstar also pitched in with programmers, animators, artists, QA, etc.
"Part of the conflict between Team Bondi and Rockstar was due to Rockstar's frustration with Team Bondi's direction, and eventually Team Bondi's management in turn resented Rockstar for taking lots of creative control. It's also worth pointing out that Rockstar used to be very keen on making Team Bondi something like 'Rockstar Sydney' - the more they worked with Team Bondi management, the more they came to understand that this was a terrible idea."
The breakdown between Rockstar and Team Bondi could mean there's uncertainty over L.A. Noire's future. But if it did get a sequel what would you want from it, and would it be as good as the first game without backing from Rockstar?
"It's pretty well reported now that the working conditions were bad [but] what hasn't been discussed yet (from what I've seen) is the relationship between Team Bondi and Rockstar", said one source. "I've heard a lot about Rockstar's disdain for Team Bondi, and it has been made quite clear that they will not publish Team Bondi's next game.
"Team Bondi are trying to find another publisher for their next title, but the relationship with Rockstar has been badly damaged - Brendan [McNamara, Studio head of Team Bondi] treats L.A. Noire like a success due to his vision but I think Rockstar are the ones who saved the project. They continued to sink money into LA Noire, and their marketing was fantastic. Without their continued support, Team Bondi would have gone under several years ago."
The news follows an IGN report published last month in which Rockstar appeared to condone Team Bondi's long working hours and near-impossible deadlines, but the source claims that wasn't entirely the case: "Rockstar also made a huge contribution to the development; their producers were increasingly influential over the last two years of the game's development, and overruled many of the insane decisions made by Team Bondi management. At a lower level, Rockstar also pitched in with programmers, animators, artists, QA, etc.
"Part of the conflict between Team Bondi and Rockstar was due to Rockstar's frustration with Team Bondi's direction, and eventually Team Bondi's management in turn resented Rockstar for taking lots of creative control. It's also worth pointing out that Rockstar used to be very keen on making Team Bondi something like 'Rockstar Sydney' - the more they worked with Team Bondi management, the more they came to understand that this was a terrible idea."
The breakdown between Rockstar and Team Bondi could mean there's uncertainty over L.A. Noire's future. But if it did get a sequel what would you want from it, and would it be as good as the first game without backing from Rockstar?
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