Red vs Blue rides into the sunset with its upcoming episode.
Today marks the end of the most well-known game-based web video series. The 100th final episode of Red vs Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles will be uploaded to the comedy show’s website later today while the machinima and game audiences lament the loss of one of the internet’s greatest legacies.
The series has had a profound effect on its viewers and many of the content creators that have followed since the series launched on April 1, 2003. “(The show) stands in a league of its own,” proclaimed Philip DeBevoise, admin of Machinima.com. Its success “inspired a new generation of filmmakers,” and boosted the belief that “they too could work with the biggest publishers if they create something truly compelling.”
In one last interview with Wired before the curtain was closed, series founder Burnie Burns discussed the success of the show throughout the years and what the viewers can expect in the conclusive episode. “The Sopranos stole our ending, so we had to change it completely.” Paul Marino, author of The Art of Machinima, commented on how the show flourished in an age where internet video content was set to explode. “Red vs. Blue surfaced just as online video started to proliferate.” Burns added, “We didn’t even know what machinima was. We played a ton of Halo at LAN parties because Xbox Live didn’t exist yet. The humor of us yelling across the room led to Red vs. Blue.”
When Microsoft, the owner of the Halo properties, discovered a show making headlines with its software, they supported the project. “We were as surprised as everyone else about how great they were. It helped that (Halo developer) Bungie protects their fan base — they were very helpful,” said Burns. Bolstered by the surprising success Red vs Blue quickly found, Burns and his crew, now labeled as Rooster Teeth Productions, were able to expand their seven person staff to cover a slew of new gigs, ranging from doing shorts for the Barenaked Ladies, promos for Halo publisher Microsoft and developing new shows based on The Sims and F.E.A.R.
The creative team is aware of how important this last show to fans will be, and they do not intend on disappointing. At 15-minutes, it is the largest undertaking the producers have gone through thus far. Powered by the web, Burns and company will “honor that unique distribution method — we have the ability to do some things on the internet that you can’t do in television or film.”
