AUSTIN, TX -- Controlled chaos -- or at least the appearance of controlled chaos -- seems to be the heart of everything Rooster Teeth does.
Log on to RoosterTeeth.com and at any given moment you may be offered the latest episode of animated series "RWBY," a teaser trailer for the next episode of dramatic thriller "Day 5," or see Gavin Free pummel buddy Daniel Gruchy with high-velocity goop in the ever-popular "Slow Mo Guys" series.
You may also get a taste of what's ahead in their flagship show "Red vs. Blue," or simply see what happens when one of the staff members has had a little too much "adult beverage" -- which, if you know the team by now, happens frequently.
At the media company’s sixth annual gathering of Rooster Teeth stars, production staff and fans, RTX, thousands of fans queued patiently around the inside perimeter of the Austin Convention Center lobby Friday to receive their badges, grab a swag bag, and get in on the fun.
That line was clearly the longest, seconded only by the line to get into the official Rooster Teeth merchandise store within the exhibit hall. As the number of fans waiting, cash and plastic in hand, zig-zagged through the carefully-constructed waiting path and then spilled out into the neighboring alleyways.
Within the merchandise booth, released in small groups, fans browsed tables lined with the latest and greatest the Rooster Teeth gang has to offer -- from T-shirts emblazoned with quotes ("My life is a progress bar") and logos for every series and sub-series currently in production.
How many is that? According to their official sites, there are 32 series listed under the main Rooster Teeth page, and a further 15 under the "Achievement Hunter" banner as current shows. These numbers do not include other properties such as Funhaus, ScrewAttack and The Know.
Shoppers browsing the shop floor could also browse posters, trinkets and baubles, and one of the latest offerings, a tabletop card game.
Million Dollars But… The Game follows the format of the web series by the same name. You draw cards in increasingly bizarre and shocking pairs to determine what you and your friends would theoretically do (or not do) in exchange for $1 million in nonexistent cash.
Production of the game began in May, when Rooster Teeth’s Kickstarter for the project met its initial $10,000 goal in less than two minutes. Backers would eventually pledge more than $1.3 million during the Kickstarter campaign. Copies of the game began appearing in mailboxes and doorsteps across the country in early June.
Like you would envision gold reserves stacked up at Fort Knox, the stockpile of black-and-gold-trimmed game boxes slowly whittled away on their table at the RTX shop, dutifully monitored by staff members, referred to at the convention as ‘Guardians.’
Fans we spoke with Friday were not fazed by the lengthy lines to get into the convention center, nor worried about the further wait for vendors, panels and events planned throughout the weekend.
"That's just the name of the game," said one teen waiting in line. "You don’t go to these things hoping to zip in and zip out. You’re here to chill, meet with cool people and have a great time!"