From Crackdown to APB in Realtime

Details on Realtime Worlds' MMO cops-'n'-robbers game.

With Crackdown now a verifiable hit, developer Realtime Worlds is starting to open up on its other cops-'n'-robbers game, the massively multiplayer online game APB.

APB was announced in 2005 already but the studio deliberately went quiet after that, Realtime World's Nicky Hunt said during an interview with Destructoid.

The game, which is due sometime next year, is an MMO game where users can either play as a member of the police force or they can live a life of crime. Whatever your allegiance, you'll start as an underling - either a petty thief or a rookie cop. From there you'll progress through the ranks as you play.

"Basically it's a cops and robbers kind of thing online," Hunt told Destructoid. "Think of it as [Grand Theft Auto] online, but with much more depth and complexity."

The setting suggests that drugs would play a big part in the illegal street trade of the criminals, but Realtime World has decided to side-step that issue altogether. You will, however, be able to rob other players and non-player characters and steal cars too.

Throughout development, APB has been thought of as a PC game (and a high-end one at that), but an Xbox 360 version is a possibility.

"We are talking with Microsoft about the Xbox 360 version and I think we have approval, but we haven't started the development process," Hunt said.

Hunt did not elaborate on why it has taken so long for development to start on the Xbox 360 version of APB, which was confirmed for the console in 2006 already.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo