Realtime Worlds gets USD 50 million

By Oli Welsh Published 1 April, 2008

Major funding for Crackdown, APB developer.

Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds has secured USD 50 million of financing, according to TechCrunch.com.

Maverick Capital led the deal, with Montgomery & Co advising. The latter money men helped sell the kids' virtual world, Club Penguin, to Disney for an astonishing 700 million dollars last year.

Of more interest to gamers, however, is the fact that Realtime Worlds now has considerable resources available to see through the development of its crime MMO, All Points Bulletin.

We saw APB at GDC this year and came away very impressed. Even Ellie liked it.

Keep an eye on Eurogamer's MMO channel for more on APB in the coming months.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (23) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Skooch #1 4 years ago

    RTW FTW!

  • agparrot #2 4 years ago

    Yes was reading this yesterday - seems quite a rare event for venture capital to be proffered up this way, but as a recent devotee to Crackdown, I can only say I am pleased!

  • Benno #3 4 years ago

    Crackdown 2 please.

  • Physically_Insane #4 4 years ago

    Sweet. I have great expectations for whatever they bring out next. Crackdown 2 would be sweet.

  • Triggerhappytel #5 4 years ago

    Well, this seems like good news for RTW, but I wonder how the financer will profit from this? Do they get the money back with interest, or have they bought shares in RTW, or something?

  • miiiguel #6 4 years ago

    This is supposed to be 360/PC.

  • captainrentboy #7 4 years ago

    I want Crackdown 2 right this instant.
    I need that particular sequel in my life God damn.

  • Darren #8 4 years ago

    I'll have a Crackdown 2 sequel as well so long as it's a vast improvement on the previous game... less sterile and a bit more humour please. Also a storyline and some mission variety wouldn't go amiss. Oh and give the people wandering around the city some personality too! The first game was good fun at first but quickly became boring once I realised that every mission was the same. The whole environment just felt very lifeless and artificial to me, like a game not a real place, the complete opposite of Saints Row and the GTA series.

  • captainrentboy #9 4 years ago

    I agree with those valid complaints.
    But as I'm a gigantic child, leaping around like friggin Superman and tossing cars left right and centre meant I was too busy to notice things like that whilst originally playing it.

  • agparrot #10 4 years ago

    That was an impressive ascent, Agent.

    /throws car at passing rocket-transporter.

    The vids of APB looked fascinating - it'll be interesting to see how GTA IV's 'Cops n Robbers' online modes stack up against it, in playability terms.

    No word on whether this APB MMO is pay-per-day or whatnot?

  • Vice.Destroyer #11 4 years ago

    @Captainrentboy, yeah but why is everyone dissing 50 Cent. Blood in the Sand is a superb little..., oops wrong thread. :)

    Little inside joke there, couldn't help myself.


    Back on point, that sounds like fantastic news, but now that venture capitalist firms are investing in videogame firms, are we going to see loads of slack-jawed yokels in string vests on porches in alabama buy games at inflated prices that their PC's can't run? Is this going to be the beginning of a severe upturn in upgrading of PC components that will crash the market yet again?

    I think I am going to sell my house and just buy gold bullions. Yep. That's the smart thing to do.

  • BadBoyBonner #12 4 years ago

    Crackdown was awesome. However, I played through the demo way too many times and spoiled the game a little (Made on to the top of the Agency tower in the demo many times).

    Well I say spoiled the game, think perhaps I was expecting it to be far more than the demo. Thought there would be about 3 "worlds" with the demo giving you 1/3 of the first one. Still one of the best game out for the 360 - got about 8 agility orbs left to find but I have given up looking long ago.

    Though the driving was a bit pants - would have preffered it to have a bit more of a Driver slant (only to the driving mind! lol).

    Even though the world wasn't massive they could have done a lot more with it - but maybe they didn't want to cannibalies their next game (APB)?

  • miiiguel #13 4 years ago

    "I played through the demo way too many times"
    That's right, I avoid playing demos from games I know I will buy.

    Orbs:
    There's an fairly easy way to find them: play the races (DLC) and ignore them..., the streets will be empty, but the orbs will be there and their emanating sound - without the crowd - will be easier to hear.
    Edited by 1 at 01/04/08 @ 11:57

  • Dizzy #14 4 years ago

    >No word on whether this APB MMO is pay-per-day or whatnot?

    Looks like it will be a free one.

    Not really a MMO... more like a dynamic mission generator in a MMO-ish 3D world. Brilliant idea TBH, we will see more games like this next few years.

  • BobsUncle #15 4 years ago

    "Looks like it will be a free one."

    I can say with 100% certainty that it wasn't free, but that might have changed since I left RTW 2 years ago.

  • Xerx3s #16 4 years ago

    Did anybody mention CACKdown already? No? oh.

  • dadrester #17 4 years ago

    didn't RTW get another huge pay cheque last year too, from venture capital. what the fuck are they going to have left of their own if they're being invested in so heavily? I guess they must have something else up their sleeve?

    oh and NDA breaker right there BobsUncle ;)

  • Penguinzoot #18 4 years ago

    Club Penguin eh? Sounds like something Mrs Penguin and the little penguins would be interested in ;-)

  • Dizzy #19 4 years ago

    "I can say with 100% certainty that it wasn't free, but that might have changed since I left RTW 2 years ago. "

    2 years ago they knew the pricing of APB?

  • Vermillion3000 #20 4 years ago

    Can we have another Crackdown now please, Phil?

    Thanks!

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #21 4 years ago

    I'd say you look at the list of other MMOGs that APB's publisher Webzen has put out in order to work out whether it's likely to be free-to-play or not.

    @dadrester:
    didn't RTW get another huge pay cheque last year too, from venture capital

    From their website:

    "We are developing revolutionary new software technology, which will have widespread applications throughout many industries"

    They're not just spending all that cash on APB (which is parly funded by Webzen in any case), they've got other, secret shit going on.

  • king_skins #22 4 years ago

    @ Bobs Uncle

    "I can say with 100% certainty that it wasn't free, but that might have changed since I left RTW 2 years ago."

    So not a 100% then...? ;)

  • BobsUncle #23 4 years ago

    I was certain all the way back then, but not now, they might have changed the plan.

    @Dizzy, that's not regarding the price, just that it was to be a pay-per-month scheme like WoW is. To be honest I can't see that changing, they were expecting to rake it in for APB.

    And no NDA's broken, it was common knowledge. If I tell of the secret shit Mentalist(Air) mentions I might breach one though! :-)