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APB Patcher Update: There's 'Light At The End Of The Tunnel for APB'

Will Realtime Worlds' third-person shooter find a new home?

Here's an unexpected one: APB might not be so dead after all. While the game's official website and social media channels (like its Twitter page) are down or dormant, it appears as if the MMO's patcher is still breaking the hottest APB news. The juiciest item by far is the most recent update which reveals that someone is indeed interested in purchasing the game.
 
"It's looking like there might be light at the end of the tunnel for APB," an unknown person wrote on the October 22 update (via Massively). "The end of the administration process is apparently close and there appears to be a buyer for the game."

An earlier update in mid-September said, "various companies are still interested in operating [APB] as a live game" and there are "ongoing negotiations," however no companies or persons were named. 
 

No Caption Provided
== TEASER ==APB went down in mid-September. In fact, the last official bit of news we heard in regards to APB before developer Realtime Worlds went into administration was about the game's looming closure.  
 
"APB has been a fantastic journey," Ben Bateman, former RTW social dude, wrote on the game's official forums, "but unfortunately that journey has come to a premature end. Today we are sad to announce that despite everyone's best efforts to keep the service running; APB is coming to a close."

Word from the patcher is surprising and perhaps not an accurate source of intel. The origin URL doesn't appear to be official, but then again, RTW no longer exists in a functional form. But what makes these words believable is that Bateman, the same dude who brought the news of APB's then-impending closure, re-tweeted the patcher's URL after the October 22 update. We've checked with Bateman to see if this feed is official or what can be confirmed.

No Caption Provided
And speaking of that, when Eurogamer brought this news to RTW administrator, Begbies Traynor, the pub was given a flat no comment.

Rumors have pegged Epic Games as a company that was interested in purchasing APB, and while it hasn't ruled such a move out, nothing has happened.

81 Comments

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napalm

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Edited By napalm
@Aut0n said:
" Come on, APB...DISpatcher. Anyone? Eh? Eh? "
LOL. 
 
I think we need to remember what this game was supposed to be, not what it was.
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Xeiphyer

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Edited By Xeiphyer

Somebody needs to buy that character creator, its amazing and needs to be in more games.

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Vrikk

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Edited By Vrikk

Why so many companies even keep bringing out MMOs is incredible to me. If it's not WoW or a really niche game like EVE it is going to flounder in less than a year.

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GozerTC

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Edited By GozerTC
@Xeiphyer said:
"Somebody needs to buy that character creator, its amazing and needs to be in more games. "

Agreed.  Buy the game, kill it some more, and use that Character Creator everywhere! :)  
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selbie

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Edited By selbie

I'm sure they could make some profit out of the character creation and customisation tools. That was one of the few good things about the game.

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ApertureSilence

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Edited By ApertureSilence
@CornBREDX said:
" Its an MMO. MMOs never die.  
 
Two words: Auto Assault.
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deactivated-61abb009b221e

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@MurderByDeath said:
" @CornBREDX said:
" Its an MMO. MMOs never die.  
 Two words: Auto Assault. "
Two more words: Tabula Rasa.
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Lemoncookie01

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Edited By Lemoncookie01

Let the beast lie.

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Lind_L_Taylor

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Edited By Lind_L_Taylor

Awww, man. I was kinda hoping this game
would stay at the bottom of the shitcan. It's
better that way. 

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Xqwzt

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Edited By Xqwzt

   Save APBVinny :(
   Save APBVinny :(
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captain_clayman

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Edited By captain_clayman
@ProfessorEss said:
" I'm just curious if someone's trying to pick it up on the dirt cheap so they can rip the character customization code out of it and dump the rest into the trash. "
lmfao that'd be a pretty good tactic
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Keslus9

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Edited By Keslus9

Volition should buy it and strip it for parts to use in Saint's Row 3..

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Sooty

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Edited By Sooty

"APB has been a fantastic journey" - if you say so.

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Destroyeron

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Edited By Destroyeron
@Baillie: How do you know he didn't play it? I played it, and it sucked!
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Pkshields

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Edited By Pkshields

Whoever is even thinking about buying this must have a spectacular idea or else it's a waste of time and money.

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nick69

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Edited By nick69

It really had the potential to be a great game. I know I was very optimistic pre-release about the outcome but it turned to by a dismal failure. I still think there is a sliver of hope for this game..

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deactivated-5fb7c57ae2335

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@WindFall259 said:
" @MurderByDeath said:
" @CornBREDX said:
" Its an MMO. MMOs never die.  
 Two words: Auto Assault. "
Two more words: Tabula Rasa. "
Matrix Online?
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Glak

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Edited By Glak

A "fantastic journey", huh

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omegadude

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Edited By omegadude

well the idea of the game is great and we should remember what it should have been...
but if epic or any other company could turn it into somthing "good" then im for it im still waiting for a decent modern day mmo

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cornbredx

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Edited By cornbredx
@WindFall259:
@isnipeyoudie:
@MurderByDeath:
You guys are right, I forgot about those 2. I think I also mentioned that URU did as well. It does seem hard for a MMO that has been released to die, though. There's so many that continue to go on well after their prime. It's amazing how some are still online after all these years.  
 
But you guys are right, I did forget about those. Sorry. 
 
Edit: oh ya, Matrix Online as well. I did totally forget that for some reason. Anyway, wow dont know why I forget those haha
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gizmo88

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Edited By gizmo88
@Baillie:  I played it for hours. You couldn't be more wrong. The game is dreadful. Aiming, driving, and moving all feel considerably worse than games 10 years older. 
 
Common sense should kick in at any given time, let the game go. Try Crimecraft, at least you don't have to pay to play crap.
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GrifTWHLH

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Edited By GrifTWHLH

why wont this just die already?

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Baillie

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Edited By Baillie
@gizmo88: I don't play it, but I know a lot of people who did and really enjoyed it.
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korwin

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Edited By korwin

We Shooter/MMO fans never let our dreams die... 30% off Global Agenda.

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Yanngc33

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Edited By Yanngc33
@LordCmdrStryker much agreed
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02sfraser

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Edited By 02sfraser

I would like to see someone buy it, fix it and re-release it. It's a shame that so much work went into a project with nothing to really show for it. Not saying it was a great game but I do still feel a bit sad for RTW

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TheChaos

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Edited By TheChaos
@ProfessorEss said:
" I'm just curious if someone's trying to pick it up on the dirt cheap so they can rip the character customization code out of it and dump the rest into the trash. "
This, exactly.
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penguindust

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Edited By penguindust

Wow, so much pessimism.  I think it's an intriguing idea.  If Epic is the one interested in purchasing the game, I am anxious to see what they do with it.  Epic might be interested in getting to the MMO world, and what better (easier) way to learn the ropes than with a game that's up and running already?  Bioware is blowing 10s of millions (some estimate hundreds of millions) to step into the MMO arena.  Epic could learn the ropes, craft a business model and build an infrastructure for pennies on the dollar considering the alternate cost of building an MMO fresh from the ground up.  Later, when they understand the ins and outs of running an MMO, they can make a brand new one, but for now, they can kick the tires and see what APB can do. 

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gamebelongtous

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Edited By gamebelongtous

i really wanted to play this, and if it is picked up maybe those who do get hold of it can update/patch/fix it to some extent in the areas it had issues.
 
if nothing elce maybe make use of its assets, as said before, creation and customisation tools were great.

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theslimdavylp

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Edited By theslimdavylp

I had high hopes for this game back in the day but it looks horrible

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stickfigure

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Edited By stickfigure

A light at the end of the tunnel is normally the last thing you see before the train hits you.