APB shooting up E3

Last week, rumors arose that Realtime Worlds intended to bring its ambitious urban-warfare online shooter APB out of hiding and into the Electronic Entertainment Expo spotlight. Today, a Realtime Worlds representative confirmed for GameSpot that the game will indeed be shown at this year's trade show, which takes place June 1-4 in Los Angeles.

Speaking with fan site APB Evolved, Realtime Worlds also confirmed that APB's showing at this year's E3 will mark the beginning of a significant uptick in information about the online game. The representative also offered the fan site an in-game screenshot of APB, a rare occurrence since the game was first announced in 2005. The in-game shot shows two street thugs standing outside of an armament shop, sighting up some unseen opponent with high-powered weaponry.

Reminiscent of what company cofounder and newly appointed creative director Dave Jones mentioned in his keynote address at the 2008 Game Developers Conference, the thugs and their vehicle are heavily customized. Both gangsters have stylized tattoos, as well as a number of accessories and customized clothing, while the nearby vehicle is coated with a unique laughing clown head decal.

Development on APB is led by Dave Jones, better known as the mastermind behind the original Grand Theft Auto. Similar to the franchise most closely associated with Jones' name, APB deals in contemporary, open-world, gang-fueled warfare, where players operate on both sides of the law to build street cred. In April 2008, Realtime Worlds told GameSpot that the game was on track for release on PCs in 2009.

For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of APB.