Rumor: Epic in Talks to Buy APB

[Logan Westbrook]

Rumor: Epic in Talks to Buy APB

The lights may have been switched off on crime MMOG APB, but sources suggest that Epic may be switching them back on again.

Beleaguered MMOG APB may have found a last-minute lifeline if rumors that Gear of War creators Epic Games want to buy the rights to the game are true. According to sources close to APB's development team, a number of companies are being approached by administrators with a view to buying the IP, and Epic has been mentioned as a potential buyer.

The BBC's [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11333582] Johnny Minkley said that Epic had created the engine that APB ran on, and so would have little trouble getting it up and running again, but added that he wasn't sure whether the potential gain from reviving the game would be worth the effort. Dana Cowley, Epic's senior public relations manager, didn't directly deny the rumors and said that Mark Rein - Epic co-founder and vice president - had loved what he seen of the game. She suggested that Epic was too busy to take on APB however, saying that the company had its hands full with Gear of War 3, Bullet Storm and Project Sword, but added that any talks on the matter would be confidential anyway.

According to Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-09-17-epic-games-may-buy-apb-report], Dave Jones - founder of the Realtime Worlds, the studio that made APB - is good friends with Rein, but whether that friendship extends to bailing out the closest thing that MMOGs have to the Titanic remains to be seen. It's possible that Epic might buy the IP, but decide to do something else with it, rather than restart the MMOG. As with all rumor, we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Source: BBC [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11333582] via Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-09-17-epic-games-may-buy-apb-report]


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[Baron Khaine]

God I hope they don't, just let it die.

 

[Archien]

True, now its just swarming with hackers , shame thou seeing that it had potential.

 

[Crossborder]

God I hope they don't, just let it die.

My thoughts exactly. I haven't played it, but it probably died for a reason. I just hope Epic isn't going to waste their time on this trainwreck.

 

[HaraDaya]

It died because of griefing players and unbalanced upgrades and weapons. And sometimes the missions too were unfair. It'd be a good start if they just sorted that out.
I personally hope it won't die, since regular MMORPG's aren't my thing. I've wanted an action MMO for years, and this came close.

 

[Alandoril]

If they do it right, it could be awesome.

 

[UnravThreads]

If Epic buy it and get the old staff back on, but also give it a kick up the backside, I think it might work. They, as a studio, might be busy, but surely they have enough after the many UE licenses and Unreal/GoW games to create a new studio for APB?

I think it could be good, but only if Epic really make the studio get into gear (pun not intended) and add a lot more content to the game (I've heard that's one of its major flaws) then it might work. And even if they don't, the technology will be well worth getting. Imagine Unreal Tournament 4 where you could design your own character.

 

[Albino Boo]

Well its not often that you get the chance to buy a 90% finished mmo for next to nothing. The cost of buying and finishing APB will be a fraction of producing an mmo from scratch, its whether Epic feels like running an mmo on top of what they are working on currently.

 

[Uber Waddles]

Epic is one of my favorite studios; they are one of the few publishers that have some form of standards and won't release utter crap (although they have had a few 'mehs' here and there). These guys are up there with Blizzard and GameFreak for me.

APB was a game with a good idea, let down by a shotty production and gameplay mechanics. If Epic can buy out this game and gut it, I say they'd have a pretty good chance of making it work. If Epic buys the game, they have to work their asses off and change the bland and boring missions, balancing issues, and just everything that made APB go from good idea to just plain bad.

 

[WanderingFool]

I think it could be good, but only if Epic really make the studio get into gear (pun not intended) and add a lot more content to the game (I've heard that's one of its major flaws) then it might work. And even if they don't, the technology will be well worth getting. Imagine Unreal Tournament 4 where you could design your own character.

Thats something that first attracted me to APB, was the shear amount and depth the to customization, but I was also heavily repalsed by the abstract payment plan... But I would love to see that much character customization depth in a game.

 

[ImprovizoR]

It's a shame to see a game die. The problem with APB is that developers didn't listen to any complaints from Beta testers. If Epic ends up buying this all they have to do is listen to the players and this game could be saved.

 

[Gralian]

Project Sword? I haven't even heard of that one, and i've only seen barely any scraps of information about Bullet Storm. They could do with some press.

Don't do it, Epic! You'll only suffer for it later on! I think it's times like these - when the developer is too sentimental for his own good to use common sense and a business-mindset - that people like Kotick almost seem to come off as being the most sensible with his assets, as much of a cold-hearted twat as he is.

 

[Ickorus]

I hope they do save the game, it's good and I really think all it needed was the balance issues and exploits fixed.

I know I would play again if I wasn't forced up against a group of renown 200 guys with full upgrades and LTL guns every time I tried to play it.

 

[veloper]

The only way Epic could draw players to APB after this fiasco, would be to make it a free MMO AND to fix the game.

Best scenario would be a new name, a new paint job, fresh advertising and doing the hardest part: making a good game. APB is only worth the art and animation that went into it.

 

[Korias]

The only way Epic could draw players to APB after this fiasco, would be to make it a free MMO AND to fix the game.

Best scenario would be a new name, a new paint job, fresh advertising and doing the hardest part: making a good game. APB is only worth the art and animation that went into it.

As someone who is actually writing games, the fact that you left out the whole storylinw of the good parts of this game seems odd to me. Was there something about the story that you didn't like?

 

[veloper]

The only way Epic could draw players to APB after this fiasco, would be to make it a free MMO AND to fix the game.

Best scenario would be a new name, a new paint job, fresh advertising and doing the hardest part: making a good game. APB is only worth the art and animation that went into it.

As someone who is actually writing games, the fact that you left out the whole storylinw of the good parts of this game seems odd to me. Was there something about the story that you didn't like?

I don't play games for a story. Gameplay is king.

 

[Credge]

The only way Epic could draw players to APB after this fiasco, would be to make it a free MMO AND to fix the game.

Best scenario would be a new name, a new paint job, fresh advertising and doing the hardest part: making a good game. APB is only worth the art and animation that went into it.

As someone who is actually writing games, the fact that you left out the whole storylinw of the good parts of this game seems odd to me. Was there something about the story that you didn't like?

I don't play games for a story. Gameplay is king.

This.

It's an MMOFPS. Story doesn't even register.

 

[ssgt splatter]

EPIC, please don't do this, you still have to finish Gears of War 3. The last thing you need right now is a distraction like this.