APB owner to open Scotland studio

The firm that acquired the All Points Bulletin brand has pledged to open a new studio in Edinburgh, in a move that is said will create at least 22 game development jobs.

US-based group Reloaded Productions said the new studio will inhabit “a dedicated Scottish game development team”, and will be established with the help of a £25,000 Scottish Enterprise fund.

Scottish Culture minister Fiona Hyslop said the move was “a testament to the talent, infrastructure and cutting-edge skills Scotland has to offer in this fast-growing and competitive market and our continued promotion of this key sector internationally”.

Bjorn Book-Larsson, the CEO of Reloaded Productions, said the plan for Scotland studio was hatched following a tour of the country, after meeting some "extraordinary" game development professionals.

Reloaded Productions may expand its Scotland workforce beyond the 22 openings, Book-Larsson said.

Prospects for the All Points Bulletin (APB) game were thrown into disarray last year, with its Dundee creators Realtime Worlds entering administration in August, eventually at the loss of over 200 jobs.

The studio wasn’t saved, though its properties were plundered. US start-up group Kimble Operations bought a Realtime Worlds brand called ‘Project MyWorld’, while Reloaded Productions acquired the APB trademark and code.

APB has become a free-to-play MMO, with a closed beta in operation.

Reloaded Productions, a subsidiary of Gamers First (itself a subsidiary of K2 networks), has studios in the US and India.