This week, on the Geek I/O show, on behalf of our ConGeeks Segment and Phoenix Radio FM, We are joined by the one and only, April Driesse, who is covering RTX 2016 in Austin Texas.
What exactly is RTX? RTX stands for Rooster Teeth Expo, and it takes place every year in Austin, Texas. This year, in 2016, RTX housed approximately 60,000 attendees.
Rooster Teeth was founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullman, Geoff Ramsey, Gus Sorola and Joel Heyman. It is a small company, but really, they are that of a family and they are responsible for the very popular Red vs Blue (which is currently in its 14th season), its very popular animated series RWBY and RWBY Chibi, and several live action productions such as Million Dollars, but and Achievement Hunter. Basically, RTX is where Rooster Teeth shows off all of their stuff. Its a Con for Rooster Teeth Geeks/Nerds/Gamers ect.
Often times, at RTX, there are several game releases talked about. This year, one of the major Rooster Teeth games that was talked about was RWBY: Grimm Eclipse. We will focus on this in our segment in a little bit, but know that this game is awesome. Oh, speaking of how awesome this game is, the full release of this game was just released on July 5th and you can get it on Steam for just $24.99, but we will come back to talking about this game in a little bit.
So RTX
I made the very long trip down to Austin, Texas from a small town 30 minutes outside of Cleveland, Ohio. My journey to RTX this year started at around 3:30pm on June 28th of 2016.
We drove, and drove, and drove. Through Ohio, Through Tennessee, Through Arkansas, eventually landing our way into Texas. Once we got into Texas, we drove through Mount Pleasant, TX, eventually the DFW area, and made it through San Antonio and landed in Austin around 8:00pm on the 29th.
The convention did not start until the 1st of July, so we had a day to relax, which was nice. We stayed in a Best Western Hotel, which had a pool, and it was quite nice.
On the 1st of July, we got to RTX which was at The Austin Convention Center mainly though it was located at one other hotel as well (this was where Red vs Blue took place I will cover this area once we get to it)
I checked in, got my media request badge, and was on my way to the first panel of the day which was the RWBY Panel.
RWBY
RWBY, for those who are unfamiliar is an anime that stands for Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang um I forget her last name (lol)
Anyway, RWBY was created by Monty Oum, and was written by Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross. The first episode of RWBY premiered on July 5th 2013 at RTX 2013 and was released on July 18th 2013.
RWBYs story takes place in a world called Remnant, which is filled with a bunch of creatures called Grimm. These are supernatural creatures that are shadowy. Prior to the series, there was a battle of survival against the Grimm before discovering the power of an element called Dust (which is manufactured by Weiss family) and it allowed the characters to fight back against the monsters in the world of Remnant.
Sadly, on Feb 1st 2015, Oum died due to a severe allergic reaction during a medical procedure. The Rooster Teeth community grieved as a family, and the fans of Rooster Teeth and RWBY grieved alongside the family and friends of the community, but Monty wanted the series to continue, and so it has.
RWBY is currently released three volumes, with the fourth to release soon.
RWBY Panel
So, the RWBY Panel started off with introductions.
These were the people who were at the RWBY panel, and who they voice. Since it is not listed here, Miles Luna is a co-creator, and co-director of RWBY, and Barbara voices Yang. Also, Lindsay voices Ruby.
Than they introduced RWBY: Chibi Episode 10. Episode 9 came out while we were at RTX, but Episode 10 was pretty awesome. No spoilers, but there are lots of butt talk haha (which shortly became several inside jokes haha)
(You can hear the audio coverage of the RWBY Panel below).
If you have not been introduced to RWBY: Chibi it is pretty awesome. You can check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu6D5jR1rSQ&list=PLUBVPK8x-XMhzI3mm54t5zNjruYsfILB
So now that they played RWBY Chibi , they continued onward and covered the new stuff for RWBY: Volume 4 which releases
REALLY EXCITED about Volume 4. It is currently in production, but everything is getting really interesting. No spoilers here, but if you have seen RWBY and followed, each year you watch the characters age. Volume 4 covers this very clearly, as each girl has their own adventures and breaks out into their own stories. Not only this, but you can see the girls age. The animation style for each of the girls shows this clearly, not only with their costume style, but also with the weapons. We also see the Grimm age as well, and there are new types of Grimm released in volume 4.
If you have not seen Volumes 1-3, please go watch them before the release of Volume 4 on October 22, otherwise you will be VERY confused. RWBY is not like other series where you can just pick it up at volume 4. Each character has a back story, and even the Grimm have back stories as well.
You can purchase volumes 1-3 here: http://store.roosterteeth.com/collections/home-video?constraint=rwby
Another thing that was discussed at the RWBY Panel was that the Japanese Version of RWBY Volumes 1-3 will be available in Japan soon, and they will than thereafter follow along with the American version of RWBY when each volume is released. This was exciting news for our friends overseas.
Lastly, there was discussion about the RWBY game, which the full version was just released July 5th. You can purchase the game on Steam for $24.99. The game is a 4 player online co-op hack and slash game based on the series. I got the pleasure of testing this game out while at RTX, and it was a lot of fun. I can honestly say the combat was impressive. If you are familiar with the games Dynasty Warriors or the Left 4 Dead Series, it is similar style to these games.
You can view the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjtbcwBQccM
So lots of important stuff happening in the world of RWBY.
You can listen to the full audio from RTX 2016 below, which also includes Q&A from fellow RTXers.
(Please dont mind my laughter or commentary haha. I got really excited during RTX, as did everyone else. The audio is raw)
Also, below is a photo gallery from the RWBY Panel
(insert photo slideshow here)
Achievement Hunter
Achievement Hunter is a video gaming website and a division within Rooster Teeth. It was founded by Geoff Ramsey and Jack Pattillo on July 6th 2008. The website is based on the achievement mechanic found in seventh and eighth generation consoles (Xbox anyone?)
Achievement Hunter is widely known on Youtube for its four different channels which are Achievement Hunter, LetsPlay, GameFails and Achievement Hunter Community. Of the four, Achievement Hunter and LetsPlay are the most popular. Between the four, there is an average of 5.4 million subscribers and 1.4 billion video views.
So Achievement Hunter opened up with a Rooster Teeth Rap Battle between Caboose and the Red Vs Blue Gang. I always enjoy these segments because they are quite hilarious. In this particular one, Caboose and Joel were battling it off. It was quite humorous. I agree with the opening statement, nothing says Achievement Hunter like a rap battle between Joel and Caboose.
During the Achievement Hunter Panel, we had approximately 4,000 individuals at the panel come out. If you have not seen Achievement Hunter, they pretty much go with the flow and dont particularly plan anything.
The first thing they chose to discuss was the Achievement Hunter vs Funhaus Panel, where Achievement Hunters gave Funhaus a beating at a video game called Law Breakers.
If you are not aware of what Law Breakers is, it is a video game that was previously known as BlueStreak and it is an up and coming video game that is being developed by Boss Key Productions and is being published by Nexon. The game is currently in development and was first demoed at PAX East 2016. Alpha Testing opened up on April 21 2016 for the video game, and you can check it out here: http://lawbreakers.nexon.net/en?utmsource=30s-Video&utmmedium=Twitter&utmcampaign=LawbreakersE3Campaign
The Achievement Hunters Panel continued to discuss the new generation of video games, and they discussed that Achievement Hunters was developed with the basis that they are bad at video games, so they needed to create a bunch of videos and how-to walkthroughs so that people dont continue to do the same thing.
Another topic of discussion was the fact that Michael chose to wear a wig to look like a girl, to which Gavin states Michael looks like a granny.
For those reading this, Michael chose to wear a blonde wig to the panel.
The discussion continued onward to talk about Lets Play Live in Los Angeles. Not much was discussed, just a huge thank you was given.
Of course they did discuss that they would not be giving out answers, but did state there would be more Lets Play Lives.
From there, they broke right into the rules (which are below).
Laws of Achievement Hunter Panel:
- No Shout Outs
- We love you, were not going to hug you or sign anything right now, but we have a booth you can drop it off.
- If you have a gift, please take it to the Will Call area of RTX. We will get it.
- No swallowing the mic during Q&A
- Were not hiring anyone right now. Lindsey isnt here, so we cannot hire anyone anyway. If you ask for a job, we will tell you to talk to her.
From there, they continued to discuss and show an Achievement Hunter Teaser, which they stated will be posted to the Achievement Hunter Facebook page later on, within the next two weeks.
From there, they continued with a Q&A.
I will say this was one of the more adult oriented, humorous panels. Just keep that in mind for those listening.
If you are interested in finding more out about Achievement Hunter, you can visit their Youtube Channel Series here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/AchievementHunter
You can also like their Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/AchievementHunter/?fref=ts
And. You can hear the entire audio of the Achievement Hunter Panel Below which includes the Q&A questions
And here is a photo stream of photos during the Achievement Hunter Panel:
Million Dollars, But
This originally started out as a Kickstarter project. The idea was thought of by Gavin from Achievement Hunters. Basically, what he was looking for was a way to pass time with friends or family.
The Kickstarter officially started on May 11th 2016. Within several minutes, the Kickstarter had been reached. 30,546 backers pledged $1,353,024 to help bring this project to life and so here it is now.
So what exactly is Million Dollars, but?
Million Dollars, But is a card game, one of the first ever to be thought of/done/provided by Rooster Teeth to the fans. It is a card game that puts your morals, imagination and friendships to the test. Best of all, it is hilarious! It promises much laughter.
The way the game works is it has two sets of cards within a deck. One set is black, and the other is gold. You draw one black card, and one gold card and then read them together. The black card starts off with Million Dollars, But and then gives you the start of the scenario, and finally the gold card will give you what happens every time during the black card, if you take the million dollars. The game itself is hilarious.
Gavin discussed during the panel that this was thought of as one of the ways to pass time in line at RTX. It passes time not just while waiting in line though.
So the panel
As you can see, the panel was made up of Bernie Burns, Gavin Free, Barbara Dunkleman and Blaine Gibson.
The panel started off with an RTX Chant for some up and coming Rooster Teeth content (which was really cool)
From there, introductions occurred. Gavin was introduced first. Barbara Dunkelmen was next (and it was also her birthday that day, she turns 27!) and then they introduced Bernie Burns.
They announced that there will be a Million Dollars, But Season 3, and said that filming is currently in production for this. (Yay!)
There was than a showing of Episode 1, Season 3 that was shown at the Panel. There was much laughter during this panel.
Scenarios:
- Million Dollars, but every time you hear a whistle, you are tackled by a professional linebacker
- A million dollars, but every time you kiss someone, you must pick a fight with a child, and lose. (Ouch! Imagine... This kid is just whaling on someone haha)
You can watch the coverage for Million Dollars, but here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClVsiHluo2Y&list=PLUBVPK8x-XMgM5-S09D8FqrLcd2bSL_oQ
You can also view an episode here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lCzIypqt7E
You can hear the rest of the Million Dollars, But panel below.
The audio is raw coverage, from the RTX Panel, much like the others.
You can view the photos from the panel here as well.
Red vs Blue
Red vs Blue has been around for 14 years. For those who do not know what Red vs Blue is, it is an American comic science fiction video web series created by Burnie Burns with production by Rooster Teeth.
The stories center around two opposing teams of soldiers fighting a civil war in the middle of a desolate box canyon known as Blood Gulch. Basically, Red vs Blue is a parody of first person shooter games, military life and science fiction films.
Currently they are in production for season 14, so everyone was excited about that.
The panel opened up with Miles Luna introducing himself, and everyone else in the panel.
There was talk about Episode 9, Season 14 at the panel. It was talked about/discussed that they were not really sure that there would be anymore Red v Blue after Season 13, but they continued onward and changed the stories up a bit.
Episode 9 of Season 14, as well as Episode 10 and 11 were discussed about how it was a little bit different. The episode gave a few fairly big reveals. You can view Episode 9 of Season 14 here:
http://roosterteeth.com/episode/red-vs-blue-season-14-episode-9
And if you are a Rooster Teeth FIRST member, you of course, get to view the content sooner than anyone else.
Basically, for those who are unable to view the content, the episode takes place in a club setting, and we are introduced to a new character in this episode. Who is the new character? Well, youll have to watch to find out, though, I would personally recommend going back to the first episodes and watching those before watching this, otherwise youll be confused.
Speaking of episodes of Red vs Blue, I want to talk a little bit about my appreciation for animation and how far it has truly come since Season 1 released fourteen years ago.
It is truly amazing what animation has done in fourteen to fifteen years, and how far computers have come as well as software in that short period of time. I recall, when I was younger that everything used to be pencil and paper, and that people would draw things and then animate them on computers, but that is not the way things are anymore.
After seeing Red vs Blue and how far these characters have come with their stories and animation, I have much more appreciation for graphic design and animation. Its fairly amazing just looking at episode one from fourteen years ago, and looking at the stuff that is produced now.
So, as far as the panel goes, these are the people that were at the Red vs Blue Panel:
As the panel went on, it was discussed about this third guy and why they (the characters) had never spoken of him before.
During the panel, they discussed the new music to Red vs Blue, and how it had been developed before RWBY Season 3 was finished, which was well over a year ago. The music was developed and designed by David Levy.
After the fan response of Red vs Blue Season 13, and the fan response that was given, they decided that they wanted to use a whole new genre and style for Season 14. It was also discussed that they wanted to see the characters messing things up.
Of course the biggest part was that we saw the characters faces finally. It was discussed during the panel that there was a different art style for Locust and Felix as far as design. There was somewhat of a compromise, where if the faces were finally viewed, the art style was entirely different. It was discussed that it was a really big challenge for the art team.
Miles Luna continued to discuss that when fans posted their character concepts on social media, that he had a similar design in mind.
Miles continues to discuss the new character named Cyrus. Cyrus is glue to Locust and Felix getting alone. The idea behind Cyrus is to give an entry of some kind, and develop a story behind Cyrus and where he came from, since Felix and Locus never mention him.
Miles continues to explain that they are extending the season by two additional shows. Something else neat happened during production of Season 14, and a man by the name of Jeremy Dooly made something for Red vs Blue.
Unfortunately, there is no video anywhere that shows this, but you can hear the rap battle between the two characters in the audio below.
And you can enjoy the photos from the panel, though I apologize there was not that many photos because the placement of media during this panel was challenging, so I apologize.
(Insert Red vs Blue photos here)
Lastly, we wanted to thank everyone who came out to RTX 2016! Here is a thank you video to everyone who attended and/or watched the streams at home.
Thank you to everyone who helped make #RTX2016 special!https://t.co/uFSjaEgpC8
— Rooster Teeth (@RoosterTeeth) July 3, 2016