Realtime Worlds buys APB rights back from Webzen

If you wanted to know what Realtime Worlds planned to spent its $50m series B funding on, here’s your first answer: the ambitious Scottish studio has bought back the distribution rights to its MMO All Points Bulletin from original publisher Webzen.

The two had originally established a partnership to distribute the game in 2005, but this new move effectively removes the publisher from the equation as it gives Realtime Worlds direct control of how its MMO is run and distributed around the world.

"Owning the distribution rights to APB marks a major milestone in Realtime Worlds’ evolution into a premier online entertainment company," said David Jones, founder and CEO, Realtime Worlds, in the official announcement.

"By controlling the rights to APB we can ensure that gamers around the globe experience the revolutionary gameplay we envisioned when we first began creating the property. We are excited about the prospect of having direct, personal relationships with our players, which is a dream come true for many development studios."

We spoke to Jones last week for an extensive two-part Q&A – Part 1 is here, and Part 2 is here.