APB Reloaded spurs overhaul of GamersFirst network

Realtime Worlds' unhappy gangster MMO All Points Bulletin is on its way back with a new moniker and a bit of spit and polish courtesy of the newly-founded Reloaded Productions. The latest update from the developer suggests the team have their hands full and more, starting with a whole new client but running flat into an overhaul of the entire GamersFirst network.

Blues News flagged the developer blog post over on the APB Reloaded website, which reveals a two-point strategy for bringing the beleaguered shooter to launch-ready status.

Promising a detailed update on the the game's new client in coming weeks, much of the post is given over to the technicalities of revamping the K2-owned portal, GamersFirst.

The network, which is described as a "patchwork of services" based on geographically-distant servers including "various managed hosting setups as well as directly owned colo configs", has been undergoing a rebuild since August, with 80% of traffic still to be shifted over to a new network configuration.

Despite all this, Reloaded Productions predict the project will reach closed beta status by late February.

The Unreal Engine-based APB shut down in September last year with the collapse of Scottish developer and publisher Realtime Worlds after only three months operation, leaving purchasers enraged.

Rumoured to be targeted by Epic, it was eventually acquired by Asian MMO specialists K2 Networks. The game's twitch-based combat requires local servers and excellent connectivity to be playable.