Rooster Teeth Teases RWBY Volume 8 at Comic-Con

Rooster Teeth made a big noise over the weekend at the virtual version of San Diego Comic-Con with news about three of its biggest shows - the return of RWBY and Red Vs. Blue, plus more on their new series for Netflix, the Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy.

SDCC went online this weekend after having to cancel due to the pandemic, but Austin-based Rooster Teeth still had a lot of information to share about its streaming animated content. The virtual panel included RT regulars Barbara Dunkelman, Kerry Shawcross, Fiona Nova, Torrian Crawford, F.J. DeSanto (Transformers showrunner and executive producer), and Yssa Badiola, whose new original show Recorded by Arizal arrived on Rooster Teeth this month.

---

RWBY Volume 8

• Rooster Teeth's heavy hitter anime-influenced technofantasy series goes into Volume 8 looking better than ever, as shown by that first clip.

• Here's the synopsis: "Our heroes' worst fears have finally been realized: Salem is here, and the timing couldn't be worse for the divided Kingdom of Atlas. Fear has turned friends into enemies, while doubt threatens to splinter humanity's remaining allies. With both Salem and Ironwood stacking the odds against them, and the fate of Remnant at stake, it's up to team RWBY to make their play before it's too late." Dunkelman, who voices Yang, said that the overriding theme of the season is "distrust ... just because you like someone or respect someone or someone is close to you doesn't necessarily mean you have to agree with everything they do or say."

• Series director Shawcross confirmed that, not only is Volume 8 in production (with everyone working from home), but they're already writing Volume 9.

• Of course, there's a new wave of merch coming, including a collaboration with comic artist Babs Tarr, RWBY x Babs Draws, as part of virtual event with Coop Comics, as well as new toys from anime experts Goodsmile Company, with preorders on the first figure (Ruby Rose herself) starting Aug. 3 via www.goodsmileus.com. Plus, the Volume 7 soundtrack will available on all major streaming platforms next week.

Now here's that first look:

---

Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy

• Rooster Teeth's show for Netflix kicks off with Season 1, dubbed Siege, and debuts this week on July 30.

• DeSanto (referred to by Badiola as "the new cool kid" but who called himself "the annoying uncle") called it "the lost Transformers series/ He promised "something contemporary and cool that's true to the franchise," adding that it will be "sophisticated and intelligent, not dark, depressing and oppressive."

• The show fits into the established Generations timeline, and acts as a prelude to the classic G1 series.

• DeSanto promised a lot of the classic Autobots and Decepticons. He's worked directly with Hasbro, and has been excited to highlight "a few characters people would realize they have never loved before and will want to know more about."

• RT regular Miles Luna will be voicing two characters - Autobot Cliffjumper and AI Teletraan I - and there will be a new toy of Cliffjumper.

---

Red Vs. Blue: Zero

• The next season - the 18th of the machinima series that helped establish RT as an online pioneer - takes place after the three-season The Shisno Trilogy arc, with new characters and a new arc. However showrunner Torrian Crawford emphasized that, while it's a great jumping-on point for the show, it is not a hard reboot.

• The panel confirmed that Achievement Hunter cast member Fiona Nova will voice lead character Agent One, and that may be some old familiar faces making appearances (maybe). The series synopsis explains, "A mysterious syndicate leader known only as Zero seeks an Ultimate Power, and a ragtag team of heroes and misfits called SHATTER SQUAD must work together to save the galaxy."

• No solid word on a release date, but the show will be coming this Fall.

Here's the full panel video, with the complete announcement: