Rumour: Team Bondi staff laid off after Warner drops Whore of the Orient

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Multiple staff at L.A. Noire developer Team Bondi are rumoured to have been laid off after the studio’s next title, Whore of the Orient, failed to find a publisher, MCV Pacific reports.

“Multiple sources” close to the site claim that the Sydney-based team is no longer working on the game, expected to be a thriller set in 1930s Shanghai, but the company itself has yet to be “formally closed”.

The game is reported to have initially been picked up by Warner Bros., but allegedly dropped by the publisher in late 2012. It had been targeting a 2015 release on next-generation consoles and PC.

Team Bondi’s assets and IP were acquired by Australian production company KMM in 2011, following L.A. Noire’s release.

Some members of the L.A. Noire team were reported to have been shifted onto movie projects, including Happy Feet 2.

In response to today’s report, KMM’s Doug Mitchell told MCV “Whore of the Orient is a unique and extraordinary story and game, and we are still actively pursuing the right investor to partner with.”

Source: MCV Pacific