Graphics technology manufacturer NVIDIA, creator of GeForce graphics cards and Physx physics acceleration technology, announced yesterday that Scottish development team Realtime Worlds, creators of Crackdown , are using NVIDIA's Physx technology to enhance the combat and driving experience in its upcoming massively multiplayer online game (MMO), APB (All Points Bulletin).

Built around a living, breathing city, APB invites players into a world “where cash is king and territory equals respect”. The game is set in a fictitious modern day metropolis and focuses on the conflict between the Enforcement and the Criminals. Gameplay is centred around player versus player combat, but character progression won't be determined by the time players invest, although it will likely still be very helpful, but by their their skill.

“ Realtime Worlds, by our very name, defines what games we aim to create,” said Dave Jones, the CEO of Realtime Worlds. “APB is a vastly ambitious project, combining the key elements of action gameplay in a living, breathing world with millions of players around the globe. In order to fully realise the vision of APB, it was essential to include next-generation physics in our game world. This is why we choose to standardize our development on GeForce GPUs and NVIDIA PhysX technology, the combination of which has given our developers the power and freedom to deliver the first action and physics based combat gameplay into the massively multiplayer online space.”

Realtime Worlds is currently still targeting a 2008 release date for the game, but according NVIDIA's press release, the game likely won't see store shelves until some time in 2009. For more information on APB , you can check out the game's official website at www.apb.com. Realtime Worlds is planning to release the game in North America, Europe and Asia, on PC and next-gen consoles.