Realtime Worlds

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Realtime Worlds
Type Private
Founded 2002
Headquarters Dundee, Scotland
Key people David Jones (CEO/Director)
Tony Harman (President)
Ian Hetherington (Chairman)
Industry Computer and video games
Products Crackdown (2007)
APB (TBA 2009)
Employees 225+
Website http://realtimeworlds.com/

Realtime Worlds Ltd is a video game developer based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded in early 2002 by David Jones (formerly of DMA Design) who developed the popular franchises Grand Theft Auto (GTA) and Lemmings.[1] Much of the initial workforce was previously employed at Rage Software, which had ceased operations.[citation needed] Realtime Worlds is currently the largest independent game developer in Scotland with 185 employees as well as 40 in its Boulder, Colorado and Seoul, South Korea offices.[citation needed]

Their first release was the 2007 critically acclaimed action-driving game, Crackdown, an Xbox 360 exclusive title.[1] They are presently developing a massively multiplayer online game for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows, titled APB (All Points Bulletin), which is expected to release in 2009 and could generate revenues upwards of "hundreds of millions of pounds".[2]

In 2007, at Develop Magazine's Industry Excellence Awards the company was nominated in a record-breaking seven categories, and took home the awards for Innovation and New UK/European Studio. Company chairman Ian Hetherington was also crowned Development Legend.[3] At the 2007 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Video Game Awards ceremony, Crackdown was nominated in five categories and won two, for Action and Adventure and Use of Audio.[4]. In 2008, Crackdown was honoured as Best Debut by the GDC's Game Developers Choice awards.[5]

On February 14, 2008, it was announced that Realtime Worlds had secured USD$50 million in funding from a consortium led by venture capitalists Maverick Capital and New Enterprise Associates and joined by the WPP Group, a London-based advertising firm. The funds are expected to be used towards "continued expansion".[1]

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