Massively Multiplayer Grand Theft Auto

Voodoo Extreme has the story that earlier this week Grand Theft Auto creator David Jones announced the upcoming release of APB, a massively multiplayer game in the vein of Grand Theft Auto. It won't be out until 2007, but will make an appearance at E3 this year. Business Wire has details on the game's developer, Webzen, as well. The company sounds as if it's going to be making a major push into the market. From the article: "In addition to APB, Webzen, Inc. plans to bring multiple online game titles to the U.S. market. The titles include the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), SUN, releasing in the third quarter of 2005, and a massively multiplayer online first person shooter (MMOFPS) called Huxley, that leverages the latest Unreal 3 game engine and is scheduled to release in 2006."

Comments

Dare I ask.....

[LordPhantom]

.... what your charachter options are? I can see it now - "I wanna be a $10 dolla ho!" or "I wanna be Crazy Voodoo Woman". I mean, seriously, how many mobsters CAN there be running around before it gets....boring? And what happens when the Cops and the Mobsters get organized?

This sounds cool, if.....

[Asprin]

Three things need to be possible, though:

1) Higher-level players have the ability to create and define missions for other (lower-level) players to complete. You could order hits on enemies (or friends), pay other people to take the rap for your dirty work, etc.

1) Cops need to be playable characters. (You could even become a dirty cops!)

2) Jail time has to COUNT. When you get caught by the police, the game has to turn into you sitting in the crossbar hotel sitting on a cot for 48 hours (or so) of realtime.