Amazing how Realtime Worlds went from making Crackdown 1, and going bankrupt
http://games.venturebeat.com/2010/08...for-bankrupty/
Un-Freaking....believable. These were the fools from Dundee, Scotland that made the first Crackdown. Not the really mediocre Crackdown 2 that just came out. The first one. The game that everybody bought for the Halo 3 beta, that ended up being actually better than Halo 3! Some of their coders are from the old DMA Design. Remember DMA Design? Lemmings, Uniracers (SNES), Body Harvest (N64), Space Station Silicon Valley(N64), Grand Theft Auto (PS1), Wild Metal Country (DC), etc. Some seriously talented dudes. What the hell happened? How do you go from making a game like Crackdown, and totally dropping the ball with APB. From all accounts, I've heard that APB is a total mess. I think the whole Crackdown 2 debacle really screwed things up. I blame this all on Microsoft. Realtime Worlds wanted to immediately start on Crackdown 2 following the first one, but Microsoft didn't request the game. Realtime was waiting around, trying to wait for Microsoft, but Microsoft wasn't interested at the time. Why, I have no freaking clue, because MS should have immediately ordered up a sequel.
Realtime got tired of waiting around, and decided to start this new project, APB. Intially, I was really excited about it, because if they could basically make a Crackdown MMO, I would be all for it. Obviously, they don't have the rights to the Crackdown name, so they had to call it something else, and instead of making it like Crackdown, they made it more like a cross between GTA and Crimecraft. From what I understand, there really isn't anything very Massive about the game. In other words, it's not a massively multiplayer game like it's being advertised. Most times when people are playing they are only involved with another dozen players or so. Why would people pay a monthly fee for that?
Realtime, just really F'd it all up. They got too ambitious after Crackdown 1, thinking they could whip up a GTA style MMO before Rockstar North, who also has a huge number of former DMA Design members. Unfortunately, after already being half way thru APB, Microsoft requests a Crackdown sequel. David Jones says F that, because he wondered were the hell Microsoft was when they finished the first one, and was ready to start on the second. They weren't just going to quit doing APB, and then start working on Crackdown 2. Unfortunately for David Jones, a number of the Realtime Worlds members wanted more than anything to do Crackdown 2, and they kinda stabbed Jones in the back and formed Ruffian Studios to make Crackdown 2. They poached a bunch of Realtime's talent, and set up shop a few blocks down the street in Dundee! That must have really pissed Jones off, but he couldn't do anything about it. Despite the huge turmoil, they pressed on and tried their best to finish up APB, but supposedly the thing is Dead on Arrival.
DAMN. I really feel bad for what has happened. Just a really harsh case of bad circumstances.
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