At a joint press conference in Seoul, Korea, it was announced today that global online entertainment company, Webzen, Inc. (Nasdaq: Wzen) was awarded the worldwide online game publishing rights to All Points Bulletin (APB), the first online game developed by David Jones, the creator of the multi-million unit selling video game, Grand Theft Auto, and his UK-based game development company, Real Time Worlds (RTW).
APB is scheduled to release in early 2007 and will be showcased at the video game industry’s largest trade show, the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo, in Los Angeles this May. During today’s press conference, Jones unveiled the first screen and character images from the game.
“As an avid gamer and creator of many single player games, it has been my dream to create an online game experience that provides the player with the ultimate freedom to do whatever he wants, in a thriving, living environment,” said David Jones, founder and creative director of Real Time Worlds. “When looking for a publishing partner for APB, it was imperative to find a company that was a worldwide leader in online games and we found that in Webzen, Inc.”
“APB is an online game that we think will fuel the worldwide growth of online gaming,” said Nam Joo Kim, CEO of Webzen, Inc. “As Webzen, Inc. continues to expand into new markets around the world, it was important to find a property that translated to a broad audience. We are very excited about the APB’s potential.”
APB is a massively multiplayer online game based in living, breathing cities that will feel familiar to players, as they precisely replicate famous cities all over the world. APB is a turf war involving two main factions, the Squads, whose goal is to uphold the law, and the Gangs, who seek to break the law at all costs. Players will be able to choose their side, in a classic good guy versus bad guy scenario. The Gangs are all about graffiti, attitude, custom cars and earning cash any way they can. The Squads stand for honor, teamwork, firepower and destroying the Gangs. APB will provide the player with the ultimate customization options from their weapons, vehicles and clothes to their attitude, music and environment.
With APB, Real Time Worlds and Webzen, Inc. are looking to set a new standard in online entertainment. Thousands of players will form gangs or squads all around the world, and will play in hundreds of online cities. APB is scheduled to release in early 2007.
In January of this year, Webzen, Inc. announced its expansion into the U.S. market and the opening of Los Angeles office. In addition to APB, Webzen, Inc. plans to bring multiple online game titles to the U.S. market. The titles include the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), SUN, releasing in the third quarter of 2005, and a massively multiplayer online first person shooter (MMOFPS) called Huxley, that leverages the latest Unreal 3 game engine and is scheduled to release in 2006. Webzen, Inc. is also developing game properties for the next generation game consoles to enhance its appeal to the mainstream gaming audience.
Webzen, Inc. has developed some of the world’s top online game and client/server technologies. The company also prides itself in the creativity department, publishing some of the most highly acclaimed titles for the Asian market. For its tremendously successful 3D MMORPG title, MU. Webzen, Inc. has attracted over 56 million users and a half million concurrent users from the Asian market alone.
