Realtime-Worlds
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GDCO 2010: APB's Executive Producer talks about what went wrong
It may feel like the dead horse has been beaten enough, but APB's Executive Producer Josh Howard sat down with Gamebreaker at GDC Online this week to talk about the game's failure. Josh's perspective feels like that of both a player and an insider, which gives him the ability to explain what the developer and publisher each wanted -- and why it didn't work. The interview is almost 45 minutes long, and Josh is very open about how it all went, why he left, and much more. The interview was streamed live, but a recorded version is available for those interested in a detailed "post-mortem."
Realtime Worlds director Dave Jones not joining Epic
It was rumored yesterday that Realtime Worlds creative director Dave Jones was moving to the United States in order to join Epic Games. Jones has since contacted Develop, informing the site that the initial report seen in the Herald Scotland was incorrect. Commenting directly on the Develop story, Jones said, "I'm still in Dundee and not in any way joining Epic. No idea where that rumour came from." Before founding Realtime Worlds and developing both Crackdown and the recently closed APB, Jones contributed to several well-known titles, including the original Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings. [Image credit: Jon Jordan]
Rumor: Ex-Realtime Worlds head Dave Jones joining Epic [update: Jones not joining Epic]
Update: Dave Jones has informed Develop that he is not joining Epic and has no plans to leave Scotland at this time. The fallout from the closure of APB and developer Realtime Worlds continues this week, with the Herald Scotland reporting that creative director Dave Jones may be joining Epic Games. The report notes that Jones is "linked with a senior post" at Epic and adds that he is "known to be a close friend" of Mark Rein. If true, the report lends credence to recent rumors that Epic is interested in acquiring the rights to APB. (We've contacted Epic for comment and will update this story with any new information.) Meanwhile, former Realtime artist Tahir Rashid tells the Herald Scotland that 70 percent of the Realtime staff has yet to receive redundancy payments.
Report: Some APB players receiving compensation, but denied refund
The short, brutal life of APB (and developer Realtime Words) recently ended, with consumers seemingly unable to reclaim whatever investment they put into the MMO. However, despite not receiving refunds, consumers are reportedly obtaining compensation in other ways. Gamasutra and Dtoid both report that players have been offered a discount or free game after contacting EA's support line. According to the administrators behind Realtime Worlds' bankruptcy, consumers should contact the retailers from which they purchased the game in order to pursue "entitlement to any refund."
APB artist launches Montynero game art company
APB lead character artist Jimmy O'Ready is moving on -- but not far -- from former employer Realtime Worlds, which hastily collapsed earlier this month. O'Ready will remain in Dundee, Scotland, where he has launched Montynero, made up of two art studios: Montynero Characters and Montynero Concept Art. "The character art for APB was praised by the industry, thanks to a strong team effort over many years," O'Ready told GamesIndustry.biz. "For my part, I'm interested in basing this company in Dundee, which is a great city full of talent, and collaborating on the next generation of game art with companies across the globe." Previously, O'Ready worked at EA on the SSX and Need For Speed franchises.
One Shots: Taking a parting shot
Will it live again? Will it remain shut down? At this point, it is anyone's guess as to precisely what the future holds for All Points Bulletin. But whatever occurs, there was still a group of players who were sad to see it go, such as this group above. Today's All Points Bulletin shutdown party image comes to us from Super Judge, who writes in to give us the specifics: "It's been a while since I've seen an APB district so full. It was pretty chaotic -- and a lot of fun. At one point we all headed over to the cruise ship in the Waterfront District to take a group picture, but decided it was too dark indoors and moved the whole affair outdoors in front of this statue. Despite its many flaws, APB was a wild ride at times, and it will be missed. Anyway, here's a nice group photo to remember some of the looneys on the LaRocha server. Thanks everyone!" One Shots is all about the reader experience, but without submissions, we're left to dig through our own screenshot folders. If you'd like to help out, then send your images in to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. Your screenshot could be one of the next ones we feature! %Gallery-85937%
Life after APB: Global Agenda woos displaced players with special offer
It's been a sad week for APB fans, that's for sure, but Hi-Rez Studios wants to help take some of the sting out of APB's cancellation with a special offer. Citing MMO shooter brotherhood, executive producer Todd Harris offered sympathy by saying, "We honor their effort and innovation, and greatly mourn the game's closing." While APB's future fate -- and any possible resurrection -- looks bleak, Hi-Rez has a word of advice for that game's players: come over and give Global Agenda a try. To facilitate this, the studio is providing a decent discount on the purchase of Global Agenda through September 24th. GA will cost just $20.99 during this time period, and that fee covers both the cost of the MMO and unlimited play. Not too shabby, eh? Prospective purchasers will need to buy through Global Agenda's online store and use the code "LongLiveShooterMMOs" to take advantage of this special. Whether you see Hi-Rez as being merely opportunistic or splendidly gracious (or, hey, both), this deal may be too good for MMO shooter fans to resist. You can read the full letter and offer over at Global Agenda's site.
Final Realtime Worlds employees let go, US branch also shutting down
Though reports last week seemed to indicate that a buyer would swoop in at the last second and save the faltering APB developer Realtime Worlds, the studio has revealed that its remaining 50 employees have been terminated. Sixteen temporary positions are still active to finish shutting down the Dundee studio. The company's US branch, based out of Boulder, Colo., is facing a similar fate, letting go of 33 of its staff, leaving behind a skeleton crew to bring the branch to a close. A Realtime spokesperson told Develop that the studio is "now likely to apply for Chapter 7 Protection." Begbies Traynor, the firm responsible for the company's administration, is also under fire from a handful of sources both internal and otherwise. Develop reports that a number of ex-Realtime employees claim they've been denied their redundancy pay -- a claim which a Begbies Traynor spokesperson responded to by saying, "redundancy payment will be made in accordance with current UK legislation."
Rumor: Epic Games in talks to buy APB
Could the Gears of War folks be the knight in shining armor that doomed APB desperately needs? According to BBC, Epic Games is possibly interested in scooping up Realtime Worlds' MMO, although nothing is confirmed at this point. Realtime Worlds abruptly announced yesterday that APB was to be shut down today, sending shockwaves through the community. While Epic Games is not commenting on any possible negotiations, a spokesperson confirmed that Epic's CEO, Mark Rein, is a fan of the game. "Mark absolutely loves APB, and everyone here loved what they saw. We've got our hands full of Gears of War 3, Bullet Storm and the recently announced Project Sword. If any talks like that are going on, then they would be confidential," Dana Cowley, Epic's spokesperson, said. Rein was outspoken about his enjoyment of the game at PAX last year. Epic Games may also have a vested interest in the technology powering APB. We'll be keeping our ears to the ground on this one if anything further develops.
The Daily Grind: What will you miss about APB?
It's never enjoyable when a game or game company goes belly-up, and MMO fans have had no shortage of depressing news over the years. Whether it was Earth and Beyond, The Matrix Online, Tabula Rasa, or (now) All Points Bulletin, many of our favorite games burned twice as bright but lasted half as long. The case of All Points Bulletin is even more aggravating due to its peerless character creation system, a unique take on music, and a payment model that attempted to blend the best of subscription-based and F2P titles. While we're the first to admit the game had its problems, it also had its charms and will be missed. That leads us to our question of the day, Massively readers. What will you miss about APB?
One Shots: No mo' power rangers
While we knew Realtime Worlds was in trouble, we're not entirely sure even the company's remaining employees were expecting All Points Bulletin to go offline quite this fast. That's why, despite this screenshot not technically being big enough for a normal One Shots, we simply couldn't resist running it anyway, as it is the lone, last All Points Bulletin image in our One Shots mailbox, showing off yet another example of the crazy costuming people pulled off in the game. This image comes to us from KCG, who writes in: "[This is] me (green ranger) and my criminal bros decked out in ranger gear causing crimes in the Waterfront District. GO GO POWER RANGERS!" If you've got any hours left (as some of our staff members do), you'd best get in-game and burn 'em quick. Perhaps you'll see these three rangers there. If you're playing an MMO -- or played, in the case of sunsetted games -- we'd love to see screenshots from you. Gather up some of your favorites and email them in to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post your images out here and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
Realtime Worlds announces the closure of APB [Updated]
Tweet It's an announcement that no MMO fan likes to see, but it hits even harder when it comes from a game with such potential. APB Community Officer Ben Bateman broke the news just a short while ago: "APB has been a fantastic journey, but unfortunately that journey has come to a premature end. Today we are sad to announce that despite everyone's best efforts to keep the service running; APB is coming to a close." The announcement is followed by statements from many members of the APB team, and while there is not a specific shutdown time at the moment, Ben says that the servers are currently up and invites everyone to come say goodbye. We at Massively wish everyone at Realtime Worlds and APB the best of luck in the future. [Thanks Brian for the tip!] [Update: We've learned that the the game is expected to be taken offline within the next 24 hours. We'll keep you posted as the story develops!]
APB comes to a 'premature end'
Realtime Worlds community officer Ben Bateman just popped on the APB official forums to present this sad bit of news: The game is shutting down for good. In his statement, Bateman says, "APB has been a fantastic journey, but unfortunately that journey has come to a premature end." Apparently the servers are still up for the time being, so if you've got the game, you're encouraged to hop in and pour one out for Realtime Worlds' gangsta-sim. We've just got one question: what happens to all of those "Realtime Points" consumers have purchased with their real-world money?
APB PureSkill patch incoming [Updated]
All Points Bulletin's frenetic multiplayer combat is about to get a substantial facelift in the form of the PureSkill ruleset. The new rules, which remove all upgrades except for ammo carrier, go into effect with today's 1.4.2 patch and will be available in specific districts that are chosen via the instance tab on the game's district select screen. The new ruleset is intended to bring tactics and player skill to the forefront of APB's competitive criminal versus enforcer matches, rather than leaving players at the mercy of the traditional MMO RNG. In addition to the PureSkill additions, Realtime Worlds has also tweaked post-processing effects, color grading, and depth of field, and a number of exploits and bugs have been squashed with today's update. Take a gander at the full patch notes on the official website for more details. [Update: And, apparently, APB is dying. Whoops.]
Report: Realtime Worlds on the verge of buyout
Bankrupt studio Realtime Worlds may have found a buyer. Develop reports that the firm in charge of Realtime's administration proceedings is in talks with a prospective purchaser, with proceedings to be complete by the end of next week unless something goes really wrong. The buyer would become the owner of the Dundee studio, a US office and the APB IP. The bundle will not include Realtime Worlds' Project MyWorld, which was recently sold to an "anonymous American company." No word yet if the buyer receives APB's human avatar as part of the deal.
Develop: US firm acquires Realtime Worlds' Project MyWorld
Develop reports that bankrupt studio Realtime Worlds has seen its Project MyWorld IP bought up by an "anonymous American company." It's currently unclear what this means for the 23 developers who were working on the project at the studio's location in Dundee, Scotland. One of the more optimistic scenarios is that the American outfit will create a satellite studio nearby and hire the current staff to finish the (allegedly almost done) project. This means that Realtime's APB IP, which at last count had about 130,000 players, is still up for grabs from Begbies Traynor, the company handling the bankruptcy. Okay, Begbies, we've got $5 and some moist gummi bears in our pocket -- what do you say?
Realtime Worlds' MyWorld purchased, APB still in limbo
Develop, a European-based games industry trade magazine, has revealed the sale of Project MyWorld from troubled studio Realtime Worlds to an unnamed American company. In a story released on its website earlier today, the publication stated that the purchase has split Realtime Worlds into at least two separate entities, each of which is being eyed by several potential buyers. The fate of the 23 developers recently re-hired by administrating firm Begbies Traynor is currently unknown, as is the ultimate fate of Realtime Worlds' more famous creation, the $100 million MMOFPS known as All Points Bulletin. Develop's confirmation of a U.S.-based purchaser for Project MyWorld would seem to invalidate speculation that the anonymous buyers are Realtime Worlds heads Dave Jones and Ian Hetherington. You can view all the details at Develop's website.
This week on the MMO Report
We can't always get the warm security of the familiar, and this week the MMO Report drives that home with a special guest host. Yes, Casey Schreiner is off for the week, which leaves Blair Herter to fill in on a summary of the week's important MMO news. And going into a weekend with two major conventions that promises to be filled with news, it's probably for the best that you have a roundup of what you should be angry about before it happens. This week's edition covers the newest information to come out of The Secret World, the massive brouhaha that Final Fantasy XIV stirred up with the open beta and fatigue system, and ongoing woes of Realtime Worlds. There's also the Guild Wars 2 necromancer reveal, the announcement of The Bible Online, and the usual dip inside of the mailbag. If you can steel yourself against separation anxiety, you can find the newest episode with its guest host past the cut. As always, stay tuned for a new installment each week from G4tv and Massively.com.
Analysis: What happened to Realtime Worlds?
While still very much an ongoing concern for the parties involved, the events surrounding Realtime Worlds and APB are beginning to die down for the rest of the MMO community. Many people are beginning to look at the overall situation to try and figure out what happened. APB was a very promising game, and there was more than a little surprise when things began to go south. Kris Graft at GameSetWatch.com published a detailed editorial exploring RTW's past, as well as some of the company's goals and thoughts, and how it all led to the current situation. It's a must-read for anyone who's been following the company over the past few months.
Ex-APB devs take shots at Realtime Worlds
The sordid saga of All Points Bulletin continues, this time via the comments of ex-Realtime Worlds developers who have decided to air their grievances in public. Luke Halliwell, a six-year veteran of the company who worked on both APB and the seminal Xbox 360 open-world actioner Crackdown, minced few words on his personal blog. "There had been mounting discontent internally about the competence of our top management -- and what better proof could you need than this. How they could keep operating the company when they couldn't even pay this month's wages, I don't know. Presumably they continued to think we had a chance somehow; the behaviour of a deluded, greedy, addicted gambler," he writes. Not to be outdone, an anonymous poster claiming to be a former APB dev posted in the comments of a Rock, Paper, Shotgun article about the studio's implosion, pinning the blame on Realtime Worlds' business model as well as "fairly directionless creative leadership." Halliwell also mentions APB's troubles as they relate to the onslaught of free-to-play titles flooding the marketplace. "Then a few things happened. Facebook. Farmville. The iPhone. Nintendo's resurgence. Casual gaming. Free-to-play. It started to feel like Realtime Worlds was a massive dinosaur, building these massive things that nobody wanted," he said.
