Following the release of L.A. Noire (2011), Team Bondi sought partnerships with other studios for their next title, similar to their former partnership with Rockstar Games.[4] It was reported that no studios were interested in forming a partnership, due to prior claims of unethical working practices at Team Bondi.[5] In August 2011, Kennedy Miller Mitchell (KMM) bought Team Bondi's assets and intellectual property, and staff were given the option to join KMM.[6] The team was absorbed into KMM Interactive Entertainment, a subsidiary of Kennedy Miller Mitchell, and development on Whore of the Orient continued.[7] Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment was said to have pulled out from their interest in the project sometime in late 2012.[8] In April 2013, it was rumoured that the former Team Bondi team was laid off, and that the game was put on hold. Doug Mitchell of Kennedy Miller Mitchell released a comment stating that the company has not given up on the project, and that they are still seeking the right investor, neither confirming nor denying the status of the former Team Bondi team.[9] In June of that year, KMM received US$200,000 worth of funding for the project from Screen NSW, an Australian trade and investment board.[10][11]
