APB Reloaded open beta delayed

The APB Reloaded beta test was supposed to start yesterday. It didn't. It was delayed.

"We have come across a new player disconnection issue that cropped up in the last 48 hours that has made us put a temporary hold on the launch of open beta until further notice," announced GamersFirst boss Bjorn Book-Larsson.

"The issue manifests itself in disconnecting some groups of players after one to two hours of gameplay, which clearly is not acceptable in open beta.

"If we determine after the next patch that the issue has been resolved, we will then proceed to release the game to the public."

Book-Larsson added: "We are clearly disappointed that this afternoon's public launch has been put temporarily on hold, but in the end we strongly believe that first addressing this issue is the most critical and important step we can take as a development team."

He promised to be "extremely communicative" with the community about any future updates.

As a sorry for making you wait, GamersFirst will put together a 'goodie-pack' for all closed and open beta testers.

A new closed beta patch has gone live "to further investigate the issue" and an evaluation of its success will happen soon.

GamersFirst picked up down-and-out MMO APB for a bargain $1.5 million - that's the rumour. The new recipe for success involves ripping out the subscription business model and replacing it with a tempting free-to-play scheme. That's the first stage; over the coming months and years - providing the game attracts profitable numbers - APB Reloaded will be developed and tweaked and improved.

APB was developed by Crackdown maker Realtime Worlds under the leadership of Grand Theft Auto co-creator Dave Jones. Its original launch was a flop and Realtime Worlds closed as a result. Dave Jones disappeared but has now reappeared as an advisor for APB Reloaded.