APB (computer game)
Encyclopedia
APB: All Points Bulletin is a multiplayer online
video game for Microsoft Windows
based in urban sprawl
s and featuring two factions, Enforcers and the Criminals. Players can join either the Enforcers or the Criminals, and form sub-groups in either faction. The game design was led by David Jones, who contributed to the original Grand Theft Auto
and Crackdown
, and was developed by Realtime Worlds
. It was released on 6 June 2010 in North America
, and Europe
.
On 17 August 2010 Realtime Worlds was placed into administration. The administrators intended to keep the company trading whilst they attempted to find a buyer for the firm. If a buyer could not be found then the long-term future for the game was uncertain. On 16 September 2010 Realtime Worlds announced APB servers were to be shut down "soon" with no specific date given. On 11 November 2010 online games company, K2 Network
, purchased APB for £1.5 million. No time frame for re-release or reactivation of servers was announced. On 16 November 2010 K2 subsidiary company Reloaded Productions, announced that APB will be relaunched during the first half of 2011 as a free to play game, renamed APB: Reloaded.
Other activities involving missions within the game allowing the player to earn extra money, which can then be used to upgrade weapons, vehicles, and their character appearances, all of which influence the game. For example, several Criminal players may rob a convenience store within the game; the game will then seek out one or more Enforcer players of equivalent skills and other criteria and will issue an all-points bulletin for them to stop the robbery and apprehend or eliminate the Criminals.
The camera focuses on the character from above the shoulder in which the currently equipped gun is held, allowing the player to peek around corners before they lean around to shoot. The player can also zoom in using right-click for better aim. Weapons cannot be bought straight away from NPC
contacts. The player must achieve different goals to unlock the purchase of weapons, varying from completing a certain number of missions successfully, to achieving a high enough standing with a contact or organization. Contacts sell upgrades, equipment, weapons, vehicles and clothing. Ammunition can be bought from Joker Ammo vending machines, scattered around the 3 districts. Players cannot normally attack each other unless they are enemies or allies in a mission. This prevents death matching and griefing.
Depending on faction, players will have either a Prestige or Notoriety level, going from 0 to 5. This level goes up as the player successfully performs actions that help their faction's cause, such as killing players of the opposing faction, completing missions successfully, or by engaging in activities unique to their faction. Such unique faction actions include mugging pedestrians for Criminals, or arresting Criminals for Enforcers. The level decreases as the player hinders their faction; for instance, team-killing, dying, and destroying city objects as Enforcers. At level 0, a player is free to do as they please, and will not have enemy players dispatched against them. At level 1, the player receives slightly greater rewards from missions, and enemy players will be dispatched against them if they witness them performing certain actions. At level 2, the rewards are increased even more, and enemy players may be dispatched against their missions. At level 3, enemy players may be sent against the player regardless of actions, and rewards are increased further. At level 4, the player will receive increased rewards, enemy players will still be dispatched against them. At level 5, the player has a bounty put on their head, which allows them to interact with any player on the server. They can be killed by any Criminal or Enforcer, but a bounty player can kill anyone on the server. All rewards are greatly increased for a person with a bounty for being able to achieve goals while under extreme pressure. When someone kills a player with a bounty, unless they are an Enforcer killing a fellow Enforcer, the killer receives a large money and standing reward for being able to kill such a high-threat player. A bounty can be removed by death, or by reducing Prestige/Notoriety enough to reduce the level to 4.
APB also claims it will be the first multiplayer online game
title where the player's skill determines the character's progression, as opposed to the normal model of time investment.
At Game Developers Conference
2009 it was announced that Vivox
would be providing voice chat for the game. The software allows players to customize the voice of their characters with voice font
s, and to communicate using 3D positional audio.
Also revealed was the ability to synchronize music from your hard drive to the in-game radio. If another player owns the same song being played, it will appear as an ambient sound from your car. However, if the player in question does not own the song: Last.fm will automatically match the track with any similar artist.
and before Crackdown
and APB."
APB was planned as early as , initially as a Microsoft Windows
and Xbox 360
title, and intended as the flagship title for the then-newly founded Realtime Worlds
studio created by David Jones. Then, it was planned that the Xbox 360 release would be in . In the interim time, Realtime Worlds developed the video game Crackdown
, released in , which bore some resemblance to the concepts that were to be in APB.
At the 2008 Game Developers Conference
, David Jones stated that APB would be released in . Jones noted that APB would be more like a multiplayer online game
with players interacting with up to 25 other players at the same time. He also noted that the game compared well to the typical style of fantasy or sci-fi "multiplayer online" games such as World of Warcraft
, but did not expect to compete with those games, as the concept was different. On 14 April 2008, Realtime Worlds announced that it had raised $
50 million for APB and other future projects. However, he also confirmed that Realtime Worlds was now looking at a release. In this same announcement and subsequent interviews, the company stated that that game was now scheduled for release on Microsoft Windows in 2009, and with options for eventual versions on the Xbox 360.
On 21 April 2008, Realtime Worlds announced that it had reacquired the global distribution rights for APB, significantly amending the arrangement made in 2005 with Webzen Games
. An industry rumour suggested that Realtime Worlds planned to sell the game to Rockstar Games
in order to re-craft it as a massively multiplayer Grand Theft Auto
, though Realtime Worlds denied these rumors.
In June 2009, Andy Eddy from teamxbox.com reported, "Not only did a spokesperson indicate to me after the EA
announcement that the title was being developed for Xbox 360, during today's presentation [at E3 2010], Realtime's Dave Jones said that the first consideration would be the PC release, and then it'll come to the console side. So, while what follows isn't strictly for the Xbox 360, it seems that Realtime Worlds sending the game our way is a definite. If everything that I saw today actually comes to our favourite system, we should all be very, very happy."
In July 2009, EJ Moreland from Realtime Worlds made it clear that APB would be a PC release only for the first release, but they would be looking at the possibilities for a console version.
A PC closed beta ran from 19 October 2009 to 4 June 2010. This was followed by an open beta which ran from June 12, 2010 to June 19, 2010.
On 30 April 2010, a press release was published by official fansite APB Evolved that included pricing information and release dates: 29 June 2010 in North America, 1 July in Mainland Europe and 2 July in the United Kingdom. A subscription
-like system was used, where players purchase game time for action districts, either by purchasing hours or by opting for an unlimited playtime option for 30 days. Players were required to purchase a copy of the game which included 50 hours of initial game time. Both the game and the website were available in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and English.
. It features established acts, but also emerging artists including Atlas&i and Avosetta.
The game allows players to import music into the music player. If other players also have the same song imported to their music player, they will hear the music on the player's car radio. If another player does not have the same song imported, Last.fm
will select a similar song to play instead.
You can also create your own music using the music editor options available in the social district
entered administration. Former APB staff spoke to the press about the development process, including a lack of management focus and desire to ignore negative comments from beta-testers, and the substandard quality of gameplay including poor driving and shooting mechanics.
Servers remained online the following day, during which time an unknown source apparently close to the RTW development team sparked rumours that Epic Games
, creators of the 'Unreal Engine 3 on which APB was based, were showing interest in the APB intellectual property rights. Dana Cowley, spokesperson for Epic, neither confirmed nor denied the idea, stating:
"Mark [Epic Games CEO] 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."
On 11 November 2010 online games company, K2 Network
, purchased APB for £1.5 million. On 16 November 2010 K2 subsidiary company Reloaded Productions, announced that APB will be renamed APB Reloaded and relaunched during the first half of 2011 as a free to play game.
On 24 February 2011 invitations to apply for closed beta were dispersed. A selected few of these applications will receive actual entry to the closed beta portion of APB.
On 4 March 2011 APB Reloaded closed beta keys were sent to 5,000 applicants more keys were expected to be sent out in the coming months.
On 15 March 2011, 10,000 more beta keys were sent out to applicants for the 3rd closed beta testing phase.
On 21 April, 1.5 went live and they're inviting the full Closed Beta Applications during the week (totalling 150,000).
On 22 April, they invited an extra 35,000 applicants close to that 150,000. Getting closer to Open Beta.
Open Beta's original date May 18, 2011 was canceled at the last minute due to an error causing players to crash every two hours. The open beta has been released on May 23rd, 2011.
.
Initial reviews included PCGamer giving the title 55/100. and Eurogamer giving 6/10 1UP awarded APB a grade of D and Destructoid giving 35/100. Other reviews were higher, with IGN giving 77/100 and Edge granting 7/10.
Multiplayer online game
A Multiplayer Online Game is a multiplayer video game which can be played via a game server over the internet, with other players around the world...
video game for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
based in urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
s and featuring two factions, Enforcers and the Criminals. Players can join either the Enforcers or the Criminals, and form sub-groups in either faction. The game design was led by David Jones, who contributed to the original Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto (series)
Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
and Crackdown
Crackdown
Crackdown is an open world, third-person shooter video game for the Xbox 360. It was released in North America on February 20, 2007, and worldwide by February 23, 2007. Crackdown was developed by Realtime Worlds, and distributed by Microsoft Game Studios. It was conceived by Realtime Worlds...
, and was developed by Realtime Worlds
Realtime Worlds
Realtime Worlds Ltd was a video game developer based in Dundee, Scotland from 2002 until its closure in September 2010. Realtime Worlds was the largest independent game developer in Scotland with over 200 employees as well as a small Boulder, Colorado office....
. It was released on 6 June 2010 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
On 17 August 2010 Realtime Worlds was placed into administration. The administrators intended to keep the company trading whilst they attempted to find a buyer for the firm. If a buyer could not be found then the long-term future for the game was uncertain. On 16 September 2010 Realtime Worlds announced APB servers were to be shut down "soon" with no specific date given. On 11 November 2010 online games company, K2 Network
K2 network
K2 Network, Inc. is a computer game service company in Irvine, California. K2 Network brings games from Asia and services them for North American, South American, and European markets. In addition to providing localized game versions, its other services include community management and customer...
, purchased APB for £1.5 million. No time frame for re-release or reactivation of servers was announced. On 16 November 2010 K2 subsidiary company Reloaded Productions, announced that APB will be relaunched during the first half of 2011 as a free to play game, renamed APB: Reloaded.
Gameplay
The game takes place in the modern-day city of San Paro where there is a constant battle between Enforcers and Criminals, and the player will need to decide to which faction they want to belong.Other activities involving missions within the game allowing the player to earn extra money, which can then be used to upgrade weapons, vehicles, and their character appearances, all of which influence the game. For example, several Criminal players may rob a convenience store within the game; the game will then seek out one or more Enforcer players of equivalent skills and other criteria and will issue an all-points bulletin for them to stop the robbery and apprehend or eliminate the Criminals.
The camera focuses on the character from above the shoulder in which the currently equipped gun is held, allowing the player to peek around corners before they lean around to shoot. The player can also zoom in using right-click for better aim. Weapons cannot be bought straight away from NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
contacts. The player must achieve different goals to unlock the purchase of weapons, varying from completing a certain number of missions successfully, to achieving a high enough standing with a contact or organization. Contacts sell upgrades, equipment, weapons, vehicles and clothing. Ammunition can be bought from Joker Ammo vending machines, scattered around the 3 districts. Players cannot normally attack each other unless they are enemies or allies in a mission. This prevents death matching and griefing.
Depending on faction, players will have either a Prestige or Notoriety level, going from 0 to 5. This level goes up as the player successfully performs actions that help their faction's cause, such as killing players of the opposing faction, completing missions successfully, or by engaging in activities unique to their faction. Such unique faction actions include mugging pedestrians for Criminals, or arresting Criminals for Enforcers. The level decreases as the player hinders their faction; for instance, team-killing, dying, and destroying city objects as Enforcers. At level 0, a player is free to do as they please, and will not have enemy players dispatched against them. At level 1, the player receives slightly greater rewards from missions, and enemy players will be dispatched against them if they witness them performing certain actions. At level 2, the rewards are increased even more, and enemy players may be dispatched against their missions. At level 3, enemy players may be sent against the player regardless of actions, and rewards are increased further. At level 4, the player will receive increased rewards, enemy players will still be dispatched against them. At level 5, the player has a bounty put on their head, which allows them to interact with any player on the server. They can be killed by any Criminal or Enforcer, but a bounty player can kill anyone on the server. All rewards are greatly increased for a person with a bounty for being able to achieve goals while under extreme pressure. When someone kills a player with a bounty, unless they are an Enforcer killing a fellow Enforcer, the killer receives a large money and standing reward for being able to kill such a high-threat player. A bounty can be removed by death, or by reducing Prestige/Notoriety enough to reduce the level to 4.
APB also claims it will be the first multiplayer online game
Multiplayer online game
A Multiplayer Online Game is a multiplayer video game which can be played via a game server over the internet, with other players around the world...
title where the player's skill determines the character's progression, as opposed to the normal model of time investment.
At Game Developers Conference
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
2009 it was announced that Vivox
Vivox
Vivox, Inc. specifically provides managed communication services in the form of integrated voice chat, Instant Messaging and presence to online games, virtual worlds and other online communities...
would be providing voice chat for the game. The software allows players to customize the voice of their characters with voice font
Voice font
A voice font is a computer-generated voice that can be controlled by specifying parameters such as speed and pitch and made to pronounce text input...
s, and to communicate using 3D positional audio.
Also revealed was the ability to synchronize music from your hard drive to the in-game radio. If another player owns the same song being played, it will appear as an ambient sound from your car. However, if the player in question does not own the song: Last.fm will automatically match the track with any similar artist.
Development
APB has been described by Realtime Worlds executive Colin MacDonald as being "the bastard child of everything we've been striving towards over the 15-20 years" and a culmination of "what [David Jones has] always wanted to do from GTAGrand Theft Auto (series)
Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
and before Crackdown
Crackdown
Crackdown is an open world, third-person shooter video game for the Xbox 360. It was released in North America on February 20, 2007, and worldwide by February 23, 2007. Crackdown was developed by Realtime Worlds, and distributed by Microsoft Game Studios. It was conceived by Realtime Worlds...
and APB."
APB was planned as early as , initially as a Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
title, and intended as the flagship title for the then-newly founded Realtime Worlds
Realtime Worlds
Realtime Worlds Ltd was a video game developer based in Dundee, Scotland from 2002 until its closure in September 2010. Realtime Worlds was the largest independent game developer in Scotland with over 200 employees as well as a small Boulder, Colorado office....
studio created by David Jones. Then, it was planned that the Xbox 360 release would be in . In the interim time, Realtime Worlds developed the video game Crackdown
Crackdown
Crackdown is an open world, third-person shooter video game for the Xbox 360. It was released in North America on February 20, 2007, and worldwide by February 23, 2007. Crackdown was developed by Realtime Worlds, and distributed by Microsoft Game Studios. It was conceived by Realtime Worlds...
, released in , which bore some resemblance to the concepts that were to be in APB.
At the 2008 Game Developers Conference
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
, David Jones stated that APB would be released in . Jones noted that APB would be more like a multiplayer online game
Multiplayer online game
A Multiplayer Online Game is a multiplayer video game which can be played via a game server over the internet, with other players around the world...
with players interacting with up to 25 other players at the same time. He also noted that the game compared well to the typical style of fantasy or sci-fi "multiplayer online" games such as World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, but did not expect to compete with those games, as the concept was different. On 14 April 2008, Realtime Worlds announced that it had raised $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
50 million for APB and other future projects. However, he also confirmed that Realtime Worlds was now looking at a release. In this same announcement and subsequent interviews, the company stated that that game was now scheduled for release on Microsoft Windows in 2009, and with options for eventual versions on the Xbox 360.
On 21 April 2008, Realtime Worlds announced that it had reacquired the global distribution rights for APB, significantly amending the arrangement made in 2005 with Webzen Games
Webzen Games
Webzen Inc. or Webzen is a video game publisher and video game developer based in South Korea. The company, together with its subsidiaries, also engages in software licensing and related services in other Asian countries. Their two most popular games are Mu Online and SUN...
. An industry rumour suggested that Realtime Worlds planned to sell the game to Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games is a major video game developer and publisher based in New York City, owned by Take-Two Interactive following its purchase of UK video game publisher BMG Interactive. The brand is mostly known for Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, L.A...
in order to re-craft it as a massively multiplayer Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto (series)
Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
, though Realtime Worlds denied these rumors.
In June 2009, Andy Eddy from teamxbox.com reported, "Not only did a spokesperson indicate to me after the EA
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
announcement that the title was being developed for Xbox 360, during today's presentation [at E3 2010], Realtime's Dave Jones said that the first consideration would be the PC release, and then it'll come to the console side. So, while what follows isn't strictly for the Xbox 360, it seems that Realtime Worlds sending the game our way is a definite. If everything that I saw today actually comes to our favourite system, we should all be very, very happy."
In July 2009, EJ Moreland from Realtime Worlds made it clear that APB would be a PC release only for the first release, but they would be looking at the possibilities for a console version.
A PC closed beta ran from 19 October 2009 to 4 June 2010. This was followed by an open beta which ran from June 12, 2010 to June 19, 2010.
On 30 April 2010, a press release was published by official fansite APB Evolved that included pricing information and release dates: 29 June 2010 in North America, 1 July in Mainland Europe and 2 July in the United Kingdom. A subscription
Subscription business model
The subscription business model is a business model where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers, but is now used by many businesses and websites....
-like system was used, where players purchase game time for action districts, either by purchasing hours or by opting for an unlimited playtime option for 30 days. Players were required to purchase a copy of the game which included 50 hours of initial game time. Both the game and the website were available in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and English.
Music
The game houses an in-game music system similar to Grand Theft AutoGrand Theft Auto (series)
Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
. It features established acts, but also emerging artists including Atlas&i and Avosetta.
The game allows players to import music into the music player. If other players also have the same song imported to their music player, they will hear the music on the player's car radio. If another player does not have the same song imported, Last.fm
Last.fm
Last.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....
will select a similar song to play instead.
You can also create your own music using the music editor options available in the social district
Embargo controversy
APBs release was met with some criticism due to a review embargo, planned to last until a week after release. Whilst review embargoes are commonplace in games review, the length caused a large backlash in the reviewing community. John Walker from Rockpapershotgun.com stated "Whatever their reason is, they've crossed a very obvious, very ridiculous line. When anyone anywhere can post a review to their blog, a comments thread, or a site's reader reviews section, it's beyond daft to think that the site itself cannot." Realtime Worlds responded by stating "Before finalizing reviews, we want you to experience the full, rich experience of APB as it is meant to be seen. We want you to see wild customer customizations, player progression and clans making an impact on the living, breathing city of San Paro. This key code also therefore grants you, along with our pre-order customers, VIP early access before the official launch day; 26 June in North America and 28 June in Europe."Administration
On 17 August 2010, six weeks after the release of APB, Realtime WorldsRealtime Worlds
Realtime Worlds Ltd was a video game developer based in Dundee, Scotland from 2002 until its closure in September 2010. Realtime Worlds was the largest independent game developer in Scotland with over 200 employees as well as a small Boulder, Colorado office....
entered administration. Former APB staff spoke to the press about the development process, including a lack of management focus and desire to ignore negative comments from beta-testers, and the substandard quality of gameplay including poor driving and shooting mechanics.
Shutdown and relaunch
On 16 September 2010 Realtime Worlds announced the shut-down of APB.Servers remained online the following day, during which time an unknown source apparently close to the RTW development team sparked rumours that Epic Games
Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., also known as Epic and formerly Epic MegaGames, is an American video game development company based in Cary, North Carolina. Its most recent success has been the Gears of War series of games, although it is also known for its Unreal Engine technology. It is the parent company of...
, creators of the 'Unreal Engine 3 on which APB was based, were showing interest in the APB intellectual property rights. Dana Cowley, spokesperson for Epic, neither confirmed nor denied the idea, stating:
"Mark [Epic Games CEO] 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."
On 11 November 2010 online games company, K2 Network
K2 network
K2 Network, Inc. is a computer game service company in Irvine, California. K2 Network brings games from Asia and services them for North American, South American, and European markets. In addition to providing localized game versions, its other services include community management and customer...
, purchased APB for £1.5 million. On 16 November 2010 K2 subsidiary company Reloaded Productions, announced that APB will be renamed APB Reloaded and relaunched during the first half of 2011 as a free to play game.
On 24 February 2011 invitations to apply for closed beta were dispersed. A selected few of these applications will receive actual entry to the closed beta portion of APB.
On 4 March 2011 APB Reloaded closed beta keys were sent to 5,000 applicants more keys were expected to be sent out in the coming months.
On 15 March 2011, 10,000 more beta keys were sent out to applicants for the 3rd closed beta testing phase.
On 21 April, 1.5 went live and they're inviting the full Closed Beta Applications during the week (totalling 150,000).
On 22 April, they invited an extra 35,000 applicants close to that 150,000. Getting closer to Open Beta.
Open Beta's original date May 18, 2011 was canceled at the last minute due to an error causing players to crash every two hours. The open beta has been released on May 23rd, 2011.
Reception
Reception to APB has been mixed with the game currently holding a 58% average on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
Initial reviews included PCGamer giving the title 55/100. and Eurogamer giving 6/10 1UP awarded APB a grade of D and Destructoid giving 35/100. Other reviews were higher, with IGN giving 77/100 and Edge granting 7/10.