14 DAY TRIAL // Scotland and Colorado based developer Realtime Worlds has recently announced having secured a deal to buy back the publishing rights for its upcoming MMO called All Points Bulletin. Originally, the publishing duties were delegated to Korean based Webzen.
It seems the move is a direct consequence of the massive funding that Realtime Worlds has recently received, some 50 million dollars, from investment firm Maverick Capital. At that time, the exact destination of the money was not known but now it seems a good chunk of it (Realtime Worlds doesn't talk about exact sums) will be used to get the publishing rights back.
David Jones, the founder of Realtime Worlds, stated, "Owning the distribution rights to APB marks a major milestone in Realtime Worlds' evolution into a premier online entertainment company. By controlling the rights to APB we can ensure that gamers around the globe experience the revolutionary gameplay we envisioned when we first began creating the property. We are excited about the prospect of having direct, personal relationships with our players, which is a dream come true for many development studios".
David Jones is one of the original creators of the GTA franchise while he was working for the studio that would become Rockstar North. He left in 2002 to found Realtime, a company that has since developed Crackdown for the Xbox 360. All Points Bulletin is the most ambitious project coming out of Realtime and many believe the original vision was that of a GTA like MMO.
All Points Bulletin is a gangsta based MMO where characters are customized using tattos, decals, clothing and gang related symbols taken to the limit, while the gameplay is centered around turf warfare and other nasty business. The developers are also pushing the idea that APB will be "grindless" and will allow players instant fun without them having to toil to level up.