When most gaming enthusiasts think of Real Time Worlds, the development studio behind the upcoming All Points Bulletin, their minds go directly to David Jones. The man responsible for the Grand Theft Auto franchise has left quite a mark on the gaming world, and hopes are high that Jones and company can continue to push the open world sandbox genre further, just as they did with Crackdown.

Details have been scarce about APB: all we really know so far is that it’s designed to be an MMO which draws inspiration from the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Thankfully, a couple members of the company have finally been released from captivity and allowed to speak, so now we have a better idea of where the game is in development. Community Relations Manager Chris Dye has promised that details will soon come flooding forth, stating that "we can now begin the process of introducing to the gaming community the various aspects of what will make up this genre-defining MMO." Business Development Manager Mario Rizzo put the cherry on top by claiming "we are transitioning into Alpha and moving towards the full public beta of APB."

While it may not yet be time for you to furiously pound F5 in order to claim your place in the beta, it’s good to know that there is going to be an opportunity for those interested to get their hands on an early version of the game and help the team work out the kinks and give general feedback. More and more developers seem open to the idea of public betas for their more ambitious projects, something which I support wholeheartedly. Who better to help you design and craft a game than the very people who will be buying it when it comes out? Keep it right here as we’ll continue to provide you with details on this highly adventurous project as details become available.