"Howard also explained that the MMO label may have been confusing for players."
I always thought calling it an MMO was really bad. Mainly because it was ALWAYS compared to an MMO and because it was more a Shooter, it would never live up to being an MMO (because it wasn't!) =P so the really bad reviews (calling it the worst MMO of all time) scared away the people on the fence about buying it.
Had they just marketed it as a Shooter, I think it would have done much better. Maybe not saved it in the end due to stated money problems, but maybe they would have gotten a buyer before it got shut down.
APB was an awesome game, it really saddens me that it's gone. I have some really great memories of playing it. Every time I think about it, it makes me angry because I can't fire it up and own some face.
Might be false hope, but I really hope someone buys it and re-releases it. ... Hey I can dream can't I? =)
Former Exec Producer Explains the Demise of APB
Josh Howard gives a revealing exclusive interview to GameBreaker TV's Gary Gannon and ZAM's Mike B. aka Fony at GDC Online. Find out what really killed All Points Bulletin.
The sudden demise of All Points Bulletin last month left many players wondering how the game could possibly shut down a mere three months after its launch. GameBreaker TV's Gary Gannon and ZAM's Mike B. aka Fony were able to get some answers from former Executive Producer Josh Howard at GDC Online, and the exclusive interview is a revealing look at what went wrong with APB. According to Howard, one main factor was money:
"I think what killed us was despite all the money we raised, we were not capitalized for this. We were making a big bet - don't sit down at the $10,000 hand table in poker unless you've got a much, much bigger amount of money sitting in your pocket. We used the funds we had to get to the point of launch and didn't have a lot of staying power after that point."
Howard said that APB's biggest weakness was that "it tried to do too many things." He mentions that the team was actively engaged in turning the product around, and the game's ending "seemed like a surprise to all of us."
Howard also explained that the MMO label may have been confusing for players. He said that APB "was impossible to summarize. It's a real challenge to market and sell a product when you can't tell a customer what it is." For many more details, watch the entire interview after the jump.
Tags: AllPointsBulletin, News