Realtime Worlds Lays Off Final Staff In Dundee and U.S. Offices

Soon after the announcement of APB's imminent closure, developer Realtime Worlds revealed that apart from a temporary skeleton crew, almost all of the remaining staff in its Dundee and U.S. offices have been let go. With no buyer in sight to save Realtime Worlds, a spokesperson says the studio is "now likely to apply for Chapter 7 protection." The Dundee studio lost its final 50 employees, and is leaving behind a skeleton crew of seven to manage APB in its final days, while the U.S. studio let go 33 of its remaining employees, with nine staying behind as the studio closes its doors. Several former Realtime Worlds employees have claimed to have been denied their redundancy pay in the wake of the layoffs, though administrator Begbies Traynor says, “Redundancy payment will be made in accordance with current UK legislation,” reports Develop. Amidst the studio closures, reports suggest that Realtime Worlds still hopes to sell APB to another studio. A source close to the APB development team claims Epic Games is interested in buying the intellectual property rights, says BBC News. While Epic declined to confirm the rumor, spokesperson Dana Cowley says, "Mark [Rein, Epic Games VP] absolutely loves APB, and everyone here loved what they saw." "We've got our hands full of Gears of War 3, Bullet Storm and the recently announced Project Sword, said Cowley. "If any talks like that are going on, then they would be confidential."