Realtime Worlds raises $50 million

Realtime Worlds is currently working on APB, a modern-day massively multiplayer online game from the mind of Grand Theft Auto creator Dave Jones. Eschewing the swords-and-sorcery or proton-blaster pistols of many popular MMOGs, Realtime Worlds' latest lives in an urban environment, and promises to redefine the genre by sidelining repetitive quests and monster slaying, and emphasizing player personalization and customization options, along with ramped-up graphical fidelity.

To aid it in its goal, Realtime Worlds has secured $50 million of financing led by Maverick Capital, according to Tech Crunch. Realtime Worlds previously nabbed some $33 million in capital from CIM fund and NEA, and now has a total of $82.7 million in funding. Announced in 2005, APB is being published by Korean publishing house Webzen and is slated to arrive on the PC and Xbox 360 some time before the end of the year.

Founded in 2002, the company is based in Dundee in Scotland, where it is the largest independent game producer, and also has offices in Colorado and South Korea. Realtime Worlds won two BAFTA awards last year, for Best Use of Audio and Best Action and Adventure Game for Crackdown.

For more on APB, check out Dave Jones' session from this year's Game Developers Conference.