11 Fascinating Gaming Moments That Almost Happened
3. Team Bondi Was Nearly Rockstar's Next Big Studio
Back in 2010, Team Bondi were hot s**t. Their revolutionary facial-scanning tech made L.A. Noire a must-play title, and even though not everyone was onboard with their brand of detective gameplay, it was clear they were pushing the industry forward in some pretty remarkable ways.
Their ambitions overshadowed their actual resources though, and it was a partnership with Rockstar, who agreed to produce and help develop the game, which allowed the title to properly coalesce and become such a smash hit.
There were stories of mismanagement and a potentially strained working relationship with their new publisher, but they were initially chalked up to teething problems, and Team Bondi's talent was viewed as being worth the drama. In fact, it's been stated that Rockstar were looking to bring them into the fold properly, with the intent of making them the next big Rockstar development studio.
That didn't happen though, and Bondi and Rockstar split on pretty terrible terms. The main creative leads couldn't see eye to eye, and in the end, the drama proved too much for both companies. Bondi went out on their own to produce their next game, then titled "The Whore of the Orient", but shut down a little while later after running out of funds.
JB