project-myworld
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Report: Project MyWorld purchased by former Realtime Worlds chairman
Gamasutra reports that defunct studio Realtime Worlds' Project MyWorld was purchased by Kimble Operations, which is apparently linked to former Realtime Worlds chairman Ian Hetherington. Gama was informed of the purchase by Tahir Rashid, former lead artist on MyWorld. It was previously reported by Develop that an "anonymous American company" purchased Project MyWorld, which could technically be true depending on the structure of Kimble Operations. Project MyWorld is pretty much the only thing to survive Realtime Worlds' collapse, as MMO APB was shut down and all its employees have moved on.
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.
Rumor: Realtime Worlds lays off MyWorld team, reduces APB team size
APB developer Realtime Worlds may be laying off the entire Project: MyWorld team, according to reports from VG247 and Develop, with sources also alleging the dissolution of RTW entirely. One source apparently told VG247 that "The MyWorld team has been completely laid off. As many as 60 may have gone, but there's a rumor they may be trying to sell the team as a smaller entity." VG247 also alleges that "the Scottish developer is seeking to sell on APB entirely." In early July, RTW announced forthcoming "redundancies" at its Dundee studio, specifically referencing a "second, unannounced project" -- now known to be Project: MyWorld. In a statement offered to Joystiq this morning, RTW echoed that earlier announcement: "Further to the press release issued on the 7th July announcing the post-launch restructure for APB and expected redundancies, the 30-day consultation period with the affected staff has ended. The supporting infrastructure for a game inevitably changes once released, and those staff that couldn't be redeployed to new projects in the Art, Audio, Coding, Design, Production, and QA departments have regrettably been made redundant. APB continues to be our primary development focus, and we remain fully committed to the game and its players." No specific numbers were given. Realtime Worlds refused to comment on rumors of a full-studio closure or the possibility of APB being sold off. If you're an employee of RTW with more information, we'd love to hear from you.
Realtime Worlds reveals Project: MyWorld [update]
Realtime Worlds just released APB, but it's already hard at work on its next huge project, which appears to be a ... real-time world. "Project: MyWorld," which RTW expects to release "early next year," is a social platform based on a detailed model of the Earth. Players can build structures in a virtual version of real space, and open those spaces up to interaction with friends. The teaser trailer (after the break) shows one user commenting about a "fishing game" in a structure, for example. The trailer also suggests a number of ways to interact with the real world from within MyWorld, with Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Google, and Loopt integration shown. "What would it look like if Nintendo built Google Earth?" the website asks. It wouldn't have this much online functionality, that's for sure. Update: Realtime Worlds clarified to us that MyWorld isn't in itself a game, but is instead a platform for game developers to create new social games. It's not a consumer-level product.
