Editing Machinima (section)

=== Recent history ===
{{main|Machinima, Inc.|Rooster Teeth|Glitch Productions}}
In January 2019, Machinima, Inc., which had [[Channel drift|shifted its focus away from]] machinima-based content into general [[Video game culture|video game-related]] fare in its later years, abruptly discontinued their [[YouTube]] channels, with all their videos set to private.<ref name=":0" /> This came shortly after then-parent company [[Warner Bros.]] (via its owner, [[Time Warner]]) was acquired by [[AT&T]]; leading to the subsequent formation of [[WarnerMedia]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2018/11/warnermedia-owned-machinima-to-become-part-of-atts-otter-media-1202506039/|title=WarnerMedia-Owned Machinima To Become Part Of AT&T's Otter Media|last1=Chmielewski|first1=Dawn C.|date=November 21, 2018|work=Deadline|access-date=November 22, 2018|last2=Hayes|first2=Dade|archive-date=November 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122022518/https://deadline.com/2018/11/warnermedia-owned-machinima-to-become-part-of-atts-otter-media-1202506039/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/att-buys-out-chernin-groups-stake-in-otter-media-1202898339/|title=AT&T Buys Out Chernin Group's Stake in Otter Media|last=Spangler|first=Todd|date=August 7, 2018|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=November 22, 2018|archive-date=October 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011004501/https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/att-buys-out-chernin-groups-stake-in-otter-media-1202898339/|url-status=live}}</ref> On February 1, 2019, Machinima officially announced that it had laid off its 81 employees and ceased remaining operations.<ref name=":1" /> The company stated that certain employees were being retained to work for AT&T's [[Otter Media]] holding company, and that Russell Arons was "assisting with transitional activities as she explores new opportunities".<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/02/machinima-closing-layoffs-warnermedia-otter-media-1202547949/|title=Machinima Is Shutting Down, With 81 Staffers Laid Off|last1=Hipes|first1=Patrick|date=February 1, 2019|website=Deadline|access-date=June 3, 2019|archive-date=May 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530135849/https://deadline.com/2019/02/machinima-closing-layoffs-warnermedia-otter-media-1202547949/|url-status=live}}</ref> The closure resulted in 81 layoffs from the company.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Samuel |date=2019-02-04 |title=Machinima is closing, and 81 people have reportedly been laid off |language=en |work=PC Gamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/machinima-is-closing-and-81-people-have-reportedly-been-laid-off/ |access-date=2023-04-03}}</ref> 

An opinion piece from ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' UK blamed the company's collapse on an "obvious misunderstanding of what Machinima actually was, or what traditional media companies were even buying when they purchased a [content network]", with the possibility of future machinima distribution networks of that size emerging being slim.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |last=Onanuga |first=Tola |date=2019-01-27 |title=The collapse of Machinima is a stark warning to YouTube creators |language=en-GB |magazine=Wired UK |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/machinima-youtube |access-date=2023-04-03 |issn=1357-0978}}</ref>

On March 6, 2024, [[Rooster Teeth]] general manager Jordan Levin notified employees that the company would close over the next several months. In an email, he cited reasons for the shutdown including "fundamental shifts in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising, and patronage", with it being reported that the number of subscribers to Rooster Teeth's "First" service had dropped to around one-quarter of their peak and that Rooster Teeth as a whole had been unprofitable for a decade. Then-parent [[Warner Bros. Discovery]] (formed from the sale of WarnerMedia from AT&T into a [[Reverse Morris Trust]] merger with [[Discovery, Inc.]] in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hayes|first=Dade|date=May 17, 2021|title=David Zaslav And John Stankey Outline Plans For Merging Discovery And WarnerMedia, Addressing Future Of Jason Kilar, CNN, Streaming|url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/discovery-warnermedia-att-merger-streaming-david-zaslav-1234758225/|access-date=May 17, 2021|work=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref>) would gauge interest in ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'', and the studio's other [[intellectual property]] (including ''[[RWBY]]'',  and ''[[Gen:Lock]]'').<ref name="Variety Shutting">{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=2024-03-06 |title=Rooster Teeth Is Shutting Down After 21 Years |url=https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/rooster-teeth-shutting-down-warner-bros-discovery-1235931953/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

Within the timeframe between Machinima Inc., and Rooster Teeth's respective closures, Australian animator Luke Lerdwichagul would gain prominence from his ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''Garry's Mod''-based comedy series, ''SMG4''. He would eventually form the independent [[animation studio]] [[Glitch Productions]] with his brother, Kevin, while continuing to work on the series.<ref name="SMG4">{{cite web |author=Walker |first=Alex |date=July 26, 2019 |title=Inside The Mario House That SMG4 Built |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/07/smg4-youtube-meta-runner-glitch-productions-australian-anime/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724082618/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/07/smg4-youtube-meta-runner-glitch-productions-australian-anime/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 24, 2019 |website=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref><ref name="inverse">{{Cite web |last=Asarch |first=Steven |date=26 January 2022 |title=The trippiest gamer on YouTube reveals the one line he'll never cross |url=https://www.inverse.com/gaming/smg4-luke-lerdwichagul-interview |access-date=31 March 2024 |website=Inverse |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SMG4 |url=https://www.glitchprod.com/smg4 |access-date=2024-04-21 |website=Glitch Productions |language=en}}</ref>