What Is All Points Bulletin (APB)? The Cops vs. Criminals MMO

All Points Bulletin (APB) is a **third-person, open-world, cops-vs-criminals MMO** originally released in **2010** by Realtime Worlds. After bankruptcy, it relaunched as **APB: Reloaded** (2011, free-to-play) by GamersFirst/Reloaded Productions. Servers closed **2017**. A spiritual successor, **APB: Vendetta**, was announced but never released.

Core Gameplay Loop

• Choose Faction: **Enforcer** (cop) or **Criminal** at character creation. Switchable later.
• Districts: Social (lobby, customization, trading) → Action Districts (Financial, Waterfront) — 100 players (50v50) per instance.
• Missions: Dynamic PvP matchmaking. Criminals: ram-raid, mug, steal, graffiti. Enforcers: witness, arrest, stop crimes. Opposing faction gets alerted → **PvP encounter**.
• Progression: Standing (faction rep) → Unlock contacts → Unlock weapons, vehicles, mods, clothing, symbols.
• Customization: Deep character creator (sliders, layers, tattoos), **symbol designer** (vector art on clothes/cars), vehicle painting.

Unique Systems

• Notoriety / Prestige: 5-level heat system. High notoriety = visible on map, NPCs report you, better rewards.
• Weapon Mods: Slots (red/yellow/blue) for recoil, range, mag size, etc. Crafted or bought.
• Vehicle Handling: Arcade physics with drift, nitro, ramming. Car customization affects stats.
• Player-Driven Economy: Auction House for legendaries, symbols, cars, mods. Premium currency (G1C) for cosmetics.

APB: Reloaded Changes

• Free-to-play (was subscription).
• Weapon balancing, matchmaking improvements.
• Anti-cheat (FairFight → BattlEye).
• Regular events, seasonal content.

Current Status (2024)

• Official servers: SHUT DOWN (Sept 2017).
• Private servers / emulators: Community projects exist (e.g., **APB: Reborn**, **OpenAPB**) but small populations, legal gray area.
• IP owned by Unit Game (Krafton subsidiary). Rumors of reboot/sequel persist. Nothing confirmed.

Similar Games Today

• GTA Online: Open world, factions (MC/CEO), PvP, massive content.
• Red Dead Online: Posse vs. posse, roles, slower pace.
• The Crew Motorfest / 2: Open world racing, crews, PvP.
• Fallout 76: Factions (Raiders/Settlers), PvP events, base building.

APB was ahead of its time: asymmetric PvP, deep customization, living city. Its legacy lives in modern shared-world shooters.