GTA Announces All Points Bulletin

At a joint press conference in Seoul, Korea, publisher Webzen, Inc. and David Jones, the creator of Grand Theft Auto, unveiled today his All Point Bulletin. Both companies announced that Webzen was awarded the worldwide online game publishing rights to APB, the first online game developed by David Jones’ UK-based game development company, Real Time Worlds.

All Points Bulletin is scheduled to release in early 2007 and will be showcased at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo, in Los Angeles this May.

“As an avid gamer and creator of many single player games, it has been my dream to create an online game experience that provides the player with the ultimate freedom to do whatever he wants, in a thriving, living environment,” said David Jones, founder and creative director of Real Time Worlds.

“When looking for a publishing partner for APB, it was imperative to find a company that was a worldwide leader in online games and we found that in Webzen, Inc.”

“APB is an online game that we think will fuel the worldwide growth of online gaming,” said Nam Joo Kim, CEO of Webzen, Inc. “As Webzen, Inc. continues to expand into new markets around the world, it was important to find a property that translated to a broad audience. We are very excited about APB’s potential.”

All Points Bulletin is a massively multiplayer online game based in living, breathing cities that will feel familiar to players, as they precisely replicate famous cities all over the world. APB is a turf war involving two main factions, the Squads, whose goal is to uphold the law, and the Gangs, who seek to break the law at all costs. Players will be able to choose their side, in a classic good guy versus bad guy scenario. The Gangs are all about graffiti, attitude, custom cars and earning cash any way they can. The Squads stand for honor, teamwork, firepower and destroying the Gangs. APB will provide the player with the ultimate customization options from their weapons, vehicles and clothes to their attitude, music and environment.

APB is scheduled to release in early 2007. No target platform has specified but considering the release date and XNA’s ability to offer a commong Xbox Live environment for PC and Xbox, it is highly probable this game will be available on Xbox 2.