Realtime Worlds, the company behind the Xbox 360 title Crackdown, and the upcoming Grand Theft Auto-esque MMO APB, have announced that they have reacquired the publishing rights to the title, and are now going to distribute it themselves.
From a recent press release:
APBis an original MMOG for the PC platform featuring an immersive urban-based community where players choose between playing the criminals or those out to catch the criminals. Players will carry out or thwart opposed crimes and build up areas of the city they control, all with unprecedented levels of character and vehicle customization.
“Owning the distribution rights to APB marks a major milestone in Realtime Worlds’ evolution into a premier online entertainment company,” said David Jones, founder and CEO, Realtime Worlds. “By controlling the rights to APBwe can ensure that gamers around the globe experience the revolutionary gameplay we envisioned when we first began creating the property. We are excited about the prospect of having direct, personal relationships with our players, which is a dream come true for many development studios.”
Despite this optimistic appraisal, I have yet to see a case of an MMO being sold to a publisher, then subsequently bought back again by the developer turning out well in the end.
Vanguard was in a similar situation with Microsoft, and they stated categorically that buying back the publishing rights would get them more time, more money, and more developmental freedom. We all know how that turned out.
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