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  L.A. Noire Dev Team Bondi To Officially Shutter
by Mike Rose [Console/PC, Business]
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October 5, 2011
 
 L.A. Noire  Dev Team Bondi To Officially Shutter

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.

Last month, Team Bondi was placed into administration, with a notification of discharge filed.

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.

In June, it came to light that over 100 developers were not included in the final credits roll for the game, according to former employees who launched a website dedicated to spotlighting their contributions.

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.
 
   
 
Comments

Simas Oliveira
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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.

manou manou
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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.

matthew diprinzio
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"'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."

Jorge Gonzalez Sanchez
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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.

Anthony Taylor
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At first glance, LA Noire was awesome.

About 5 hours later, it was revealed that it wasn't that great at all.

Luis Guimaraes
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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.

Dave Smith
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rumors of its critical acclaim were greatly exaggerated.

Sinister Mephisto
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The Gaming press is the most unprofessional of all. They have a hive mind and act more like scream-schoolgirls(Fanatics) than critics. IGN being the kings of the lot.

Jeremie Sinic
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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.

Anthony Taylor
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I didn't expect a GTA clone set in the 40s. Neither did many people who were dissatisfied with it who followed the game closely before release.

I'm glad you had fun driving around, but I hated that part. Thank God for the skip option.

When I first started playing, I loved it and as time went on, I hated it. I hate it more the more I think about it.

Yet, when I look back on Heavy Rain, I find myself wanting to play it again, which is the opposite I felt when I finished it. Just weird.


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